Skills passport provides entry for North Sea technicians into offshore wind

Offshore staff

LONDON — An initiative is underway in the UK to develop a prototype "energy skills passport."

The aim is to achieve cross-sector recognition of offshore energy industry expertise and training.

The commitment to a skills passport was included in the North Sea Transition and Offshore Wind Sector deals agreed between the two industries and the UK government.

According to Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the passport would show how certain skills and qualifications could be recognized by employers in offshore oil and gas and offshore wind. That would allow offshore personnel to transition to specialist roles in wind or other energy transition-related roles.

Although the UK oil and gas sector still employs thousands of skilled staff, numbers will fall steadily with oil and gas production in UK waters now declining by about 12% annually.

The UK’s growing offshore wind industry already employs 32,000 people with numbers expected to rise to more than 100,000 by 2030.

Research commissioned by OEUK found that 90% of oil and gas industry personnel have skills that could be transferred to new offshore jobs in renewable energy.

RenewableUK, OPITO, the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), oil and gas and offshore wind energy sector employers, along with government, trade union, trade and skills bodies, all contributed to the skills passport project, which has financial support from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund.

The focus of the project is on the alignment of technical qualifications, defining safety standards, creating career paths for relevant roles, and a mechanism whereby employers and employees can understand recognized standards.

RenewableUK and OEUK plan to identify other potential areas of work that could further support transition of workers between the sectors.

05.28.2024