Renewables sector a priority for leading subsea training provider
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Government targets of deriving 15% of energy from renewable sources have created a number of challenges which many organisations are now addressing. Whilst the political and consumer will is very strong, there are a number of key strategic issues which remain to be tackled to make sure that this goal can be met, not least of these is ensuring there is a sufficiently skilled workforce available to meet demand.
The nascent offshore windfarm and tidal projects will be core to the UK’s renewable sector. To achieve the development and subsequent maintenance of these installations, there will need to be a sizeable skilled subsea workforce and, in turn, the specialist training providers who will equip these personnel with the relevant expertise and knowledge need to be prepared to provide the industry with those skills.
The Underwater Centre in Fort William, the world’s leading provider of subsea training, is playing an increasingly high profile role in helping to tackle the skills shortage through the delivery of its specialist training programmes to those people seeking to retrain and work in the subsea sector. A significant number of students who have completed courses at The Centre are now involved in renewables projects.
The Centre’s flagship courses are those for commercial diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle piloting. Skilled divers and ROV pilots will be pivotal in the development of offshore windfarms and tidal power projects.
The facility is based on the shores of Loch Linnhe, an inland sea loch which plummets to depths of 150 metres, deeper than most parts of the North Sea. Unlike other training providers, The Underwater Centre retains a lease on the seabed surrounding its pier complex, meaning that they have been able to create numerous work stations such as a simulated well jacket, a section of pipeline and a subsea welding station on their dive site.
This unique natural location allows The Centre to provide a realistic training environment and this reflects that overarching ethos of The Centre – to deliver industry relevant courses and ensure that its students have the skills, expertise and right attitude to work in the subsea profession.
The recovering oil price will exacerbate the existing skills shortage, according to Steve Ham, general manager of The Underwater Centre.
“Whilst oil prices saw an unprecedented high level in 2008, the subsequent economic crisis led to a reduction in new oilfield development projects. This had a temporary knock-on effect as it meant fewer jobs for divers and ROV pilots in the oil and gas sector, leading to personnel gravitating towards renewables projects.
“As a training provider, the growth of the renewables industry provides a great opportunity. We are at the core of equipping men and women with the specialist subsea skills which will be essential in working on an offshore windfarm. We believe, though, that we should be taking this a step further and are looking at a number of options, such as placing renewables structures on the seabed which will allow students to experience, first hand, the facilities they'll be required to work on.”
Mr. Ham said the Fort William facility is also looking at a number of ways of building business in various regions across the globe.
“Further internationalisation is very much a priority for us,” he said. “Our instructors, who have a well deserved reputation as market leaders in their specific fields, travel abroad to deliver a range of our courses and we also attract a number of overseas students to The Centre. This highlights our global reputation as a subsea train