OPITO lays groundwork for cross-sector skills transfer

September 4, 2020

OPITO, the global skills organisation for the energy industry, together with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), has launched a new standard to support the transition of marine personnel into the oil and gas industry.

The OPITO Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) with Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS) – [STCW 95/2010 Conversion] recognises similarities between the BOSIET training requirements for workers travelling to offshore installations and the maritime industry’s STCW95/2010 certification, which offers similar instruction on basic safety and emergency response for marine personnel.

While the maritime sector has always played a key part in offshore operations, the opportunity for employees to transition between the two industries has been impacted by differing training practices and procedures.

The new standard provides an efficient way for marine personnel to broaden their career options, by acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to work offshore.

Delivered via a one-day conversion course, learners will gain an understanding of the potential hazards and risks involved – including helicopter safety and escape, offshore evacuation, and firefighting and self-rescue; knowledge they can then apply in pursuit of opportunities in the oil and gas industry, and wider energy markets.

The conversion course was successfully piloted in early 2020 at Clyde Training Solutions, with the centre recently achieving OPITO-accreditation for delivering the course to interested learners.

“There are many commonalities that already exist between the maritime, and oil and gas sectors; not least the fact that both are fortunate to benefit from a professional, highly skilled and capable workforce. As we transition towards a lower carbon future, and as highlighted in our most recent skills landscape report, our success will depend on our ability to collaborate across industries to ensure the availability of a flexible and multi-skilled workforce. That is what our strategic partnership with the MNTB and the introduction of this new standard sets out to achieve, marking an important first step in that direction.”

John McDonald, CEO, OPITO

“Through our ongoing collaboration with OPITO, we identified the opportunity to create a training programme that will enable marine personnel to more readily bring their skills and experiences to the table in the oil and gas industry. The focus for both our organisations has always been on the provision of quality training and the creation of a safer working environment for those employed across our industries, and this is just the start of a what promises to be a very effective partnership.”

Kathryn Neilson, Director, MNTB

“The new OPITO BOSIET with CA-EBS – [STCW 95/2010 Conversion] Standard demonstrates innovative cross-industry collaboration that will benefit marine personnel moving across to the oil and gas sector. As a fully certified international offshore, marine and renewables training centre, we are uniquely placed to deliver a comprehensive, multi-industry training offering, and are proud to have been successfully certified by OPITO as the first training provider in the world to offer this new Training Standard.”

Kris McDonald, Training Centre Manager at Clyde Training Solutions