OPITO: Five-year window to retain Scotland’s offshore skills and capability
Published by Elizabeth Corner,
Senior Editor
Oilfield Technology,
Last week, the Energy Transition Institute at Robert Gordon University published a report entitled ‘Delivering Positive Energy’ calling for action to address the ever-narrowing window of opportunity to turn the UK's energy transition into a generational economic opportunity for the North East of Scotland. The report identified the next five years as a make-or-break period in which the reduction of the region's oil and gas workforce needs to be matched by growth in offshore renewables employment.
Stephen Marcos Jones, CEO at OPITO, the global skills authority for safety-critical industries, comments:
“The region’s oil and gas heritage has created a world-class supply chain and a highly skilled workforce with generations of experience in technical and safety-critical industries. That should be considered the foundation for its multi-energy future, enabling the region to capitalise on growing renewables opportunities while, at the same time, continuing to support UK energy security.
“But we cannot assume that expertise will remain available until new projects are ready. If experienced workers leave the sector or the region, those capabilities will be difficult, and in some cases impossible, to replace. Addressing the potential skills gap requires giving people clear, credible pathways into emerging roles. This means greater alignment and mutual recognition of standards and competencies, ensuring that existing skills are recognised, unnecessary duplication of training and assessment is avoided and competence can be transferred confidently across sectors, technologies and operating environments. By enabling skills to move with the workforce, we can retain valuable experience, strengthen workforce mobility and support a safe and efficient transition to future industries.
"The five-year window identified by the report gives us both urgency and opportunity. Sustained investment and clear policy signals must be matched by coordinated workforce planning, accessible training and re-skilling pathways, and closer collaboration between industry, government, educators and training providers. By acting now, we can retain skilled people, unlock new opportunities for them, and ensure they have the recognised competence to move confidently across emerging industries, providing the talent needed to make this region a leading multi-energy hub.”
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Oilfield Technology’s May/June 2026 issue
The May/June 2026 issue of Oilfield Technology explores how the upstream industry is balancing operational efficiency, innovation, and sustainability in an evolving energy landscape. Topics range from offshore carbon capture and storage, subsea supply chains, and geothermal well development, to production monitoring, completions optimisation, digital integration, and data-driven asset performance. Together, the articles highlight how operators and technology providers are using advanced engineering, digital tools, and innovative approaches to improve reliability, maximise production, and support the industry's transition to a lower-carbon future.
Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/special-reports/30062026/opito-five-year-window-to-retain-scotlands-offshore-skills-and-capability/
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