Skills are skills – how the O&G industry is taking action to address the industry skills shortage issue.

Skills are skills – how the O&G industry is taking action to address the industry skills shortage issue.

The subject of skills shortage within the Oil and Gas sector has long been debated. For a number of years, Oil and Gas companies have been ‘fishing for talent’ in the same, relatively small, talent pool. This, in part, has led to a talent shortage across the industry. Companies have had to get creative with how they attract, engage and retain new talent to meet the needs of such a demanding, fast paced, and growing industry.

Jenny Godden, head of Primat Recruitment, commented recently in the Brookson’s 2014 Market Outlook – “We are witnessing an evolution in our clients approach to recruitment. As our oil and gas clients continue to grow across the UK and Europe, we are continuing to see escalated levels in demand for talented individuals. As well as ‘traditional’ talent acquisition – sourcing candidates with skills and experience gained from within the Oil and Gas industry – we are now witnessing our hirers actively seeking a greater diversity of talent than ever before. This means they are placing a great deal of importance on bringing in new and different skill sets, often from outside of the sector or from non-typical geographies, to ensure their business can deliver the highest quality to its clients. We see this diversity in recruitment as a very healthy step in order to maintain a highly skilled oil and gas industry workforce for years to come.”

On the first of May 2014, the Urquart Partnership hosted their eighth ‘Opportunities in Oil and Gas’ recruitment event, at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. The event represents a fantastic opportunity for job seekers to meet business representatives to discuss opportunities for them to join the industry in a variety of roles ranging from project management and engineering, to support functions like HSEQ, Project Controls and HR.

The significance of the ‘Opportunities in Oil and Gas’ event, is not being overlooked by the Resourcing team at AMEC. Ruth Cameron, Resourcing Manager for AMEC’s Brownfield & Asset Management business said, “This is the third ‘Opportunities in Oil and Gas’ event we have attended. It’s a great platform which enables us to connect with skilled individuals who possess a diverse range of expertise. Our Resourcing team enjoyed meeting with over 1000 candidates on the day. Initiatives like this are key to ensuring that we develop and retain highly skilled individuals in the industry.”

Did you go to the event?  If so, we would love to hear what you thought. Please click HERE to share your thoughts.