NEW investment from the Scottish and UK Governments could support more than 1000 oil and gas workers in Scotland to move into jobs in green energy and other sectors, it has been suggested.
Combined investment of £6 million from the two Governments is to be used to expand a skills programme that has already helped more than 400 North Sea workers to retrain.
The scheme has been piloted in Aberdeen and the Aberdeenshire area, but is being extended to support current and former oil and gas workers anywhere in Scotland.
The Scottish and UK Governments are both contributing £3 million to the oil and gas transition training fund, which is open for applications from Wednesday.
Stephen Gethins, Energy Minister for the Scottish Government, described the retraining and preservation of skill as "vital", saying: “Scotland has the geography, we have the infrastructure, and above all, we have the people to make the most of the energy transition that is upon us.
“The workforce that has driven Scotland’s oil and gas industry for generations is one of the most skilled and experienced in the world and it is vital that their expertise is preserved in the North East, and beyond.
“A just and managed transition means putting workers, and the communities that depend on them, at the heart of the economic benefits created by that transition.
“That is exactly what this fund intends to achieve by giving people the freedom to take their world-class skills into new and growing sectors, without being held back by the cost of training.”
UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Thousands of good jobs are being created right now in renewable energy and upgrading our grid, and we want to make it as easy as possible for people with skills from the oil and gas industry to take advantage of these opportunities.”
He added: “This programme has already been oversubscribed so we are investing to expand it to more skilled workers as part of our commitment to deliver a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea.”
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “The expansion of the training scheme will support Scotland’s position at the heart of energy production in the UK.
“The scheme will support more than 1000 oil and gas workers in their transitions into new energy technologies.”
