5 minute read
A very exciting sector
Ewen Hay, Director of Products, Services & Apprenticeships of OPITO.
In the ofshore industry, a safe and skilled workforce is paramount to ensuring health and safety standards are met, with training and assessment front and centre. In Ofshore Industry Insights, we introduce individuals who have spent their career in this sector and we share how they have contributed to the success of the industry.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF OPITO.
Ewen Hay has been working for OPITO, the global, not-for-proft, safety and skills body for the energy industry since 2013, when he joined as Standards Manager. In 2017, he was appointed Director of Products, Services & Apprenticeships. Prior to joining OPITO, he worked for major oil and gas service companies including Wood and Petrofac. Mr Hay, it looks like you have always been involved in training in the ofshore industry. Can you tell us how you frst got involved? Mr Hay: “I was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, and still live there. The energy industry is vital to our regional economy and so I’ve always been exposed to it and the kind of rewarding career it could provide. >>
“In the UK alone, we forecast offshore energy jobs will grow to more than 211,000 by 2030 so it is vital that we prepare and empower a diverse and adaptable workforce.”
I have a strong, personal interest in the areas of training and skills and have been fortunate to pursue a career in a sector I’m passionate about.”
Previously you worked for commercial organisations, whereas OPITO is a non-proft organisation. What do you see as being the biggest diference? Mr Hay: “I have always been involved in the training and competency of people. In previous roles this only involved the skills and competency of staf working for those companies. My role at OPITO allows me to help to develop and drive high levels of training and competency for the entire industry, both in the UK and internationally. As the energy transition continues to progress on a global scale, we must balance decarbonisation targets with energy security while ensuring our workforce have the right skills, training, and support. OPITO, and the products and services we provide, are at the heart of this challenge.” In terms of OPITO’s objectives, what do you fnd the most challenging part of your role? Mr Hay: “The energy industry continues to evolve, and this looks diferent in diferent locations globally. One of the challenges we face is to constantly anticipate training and competence requirements for the industry, ahead of when they are required, so that the workforce remains safe, skilled and ready to adapt. Over the last two years, working in collaboration with governments and the energy industry globally, OPITO is applying its ffty-year heritage to accelerate the workforce transition at what is arguably a critical time for the climate change agenda and sustainable economic growth. This includes creating new products and standards for emerging energy sectors as well as better harmonising training and skills across multiple sectors.”
What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most? Mr Hay: “One of my favourite parts of the job is following trends and keeping up to date with industry.
By constantly keeping our standards updated and looking at what global employers require, we can help people to further develop and transition into new careers. In the UK alone, we forecast ofshore energy jobs will grow to more than 211,000 by 2030 so it is vital that we prepare and empower a diverse and adaptable workforce. In the past, people that were trained for the oil and gas industry stayed there for their entire career. Now, based on our extensive range of standards, our network of approved training centres not only ofer oil and gas related courses, but also qualifcations in emerging energy sectors such as ofshore wind, hydrogen and CCUS. This way, people have the opportunity to pursue a career not just in oil and gas, but in other energy related sectors as well. At OPITO, we are committed to ensuring that nobody is left behind in the energy transition and that every worker can access the training and development they need to work across the sector and that is personally, really motivating.”
When looking at safety, have you noticed many changes over the years? Mr Hay: “Safety has always been an important issue in the ofshore industry and throughout the years, with changing rules and regulations, we’ve seen things continuously improve which is very reassuring. It’s important to mention that despite the ofshore industry facing fnancially difcult years during the last decade, most companies have strived to maintain and improve their safety standards demonstrating that safety remains of the highest priority, even when budgets are restricted. Also, even during downturns the industry has always kept on engaging with us on the development of new standards and training for safety critical roles.”
What new industry trends do you predict for the next few years? Mr Hay: “The evolution from oil and gas towards ofshore wind, CCUS and hydrogen will continue. This will result in new jobs that require new training and standards. When looking at these qualifcations, the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic towards online and hybrid training and assessment have actually worked out really well, especially for those working at sea and ofshore, and I expect this new way of training and assessment to remain popular. Additionally, virtual reality and simulations will become more and more important too, in order to make training as realistic as possible. Blended learning, and further digitalisation of training will make courses much more fexible for learners. It will also enable them to undertake more of their learning at times which suit their working instead of during their spare time onshore. From my point of view the ofshore industry continues to be a very exciting sector to work in. The industry has always been very good to me, and I look forward to seeing how the energy transition progresses. I continue to enjoy my role at OPITO and I hope to be able to play my part in contributing to a safe ofshore energy industry for many more years to come.”
