MEMBER NEWS: OPITO and ETZ Ltd partner to support all energy apprenticeship

March 18, 2022
MEMBER NEWS: OPITO and ETZ Ltd partner to support all energy apprenticeship

Courtesy of Aberdeen Business News.

OPITO, a leading safety and skills organisation for the energy industry, and the Energy Transition Zone Ltd (ETZ Ltd) have announced a funding partnership that will allow OPITO to further develop and enhance existing apprenticeship programmes to support the energy transition in Scotland.

ETZ Ltd has allocated £100,000 to OPITO to further develop the ‘All Energy Apprenticeship’ project and deliver test phases which will help develop the North East of Scotland’s workforce to capitalise on the region’s energy transition ambition. The course content will be piloted throughout 2022 and aims to benefit local communities around the Energy Transition Zone by way of pathways for a career in energy.

The All Energy Apprenticeship (AEA) project is one of the key components of the North Sea Transition Deal ‘People and Skills Plan’ being led by OPITO and supported by the Energy Skills Alliance (ESA), a cross-energy industry and government leadership group. It aims to provide additional qualifications that link multiple energy technician apprenticeship programmes including the Maintenance & Operations Engineering Technician (MOET) standard, Oil and Gas Technical Apprenticeship Programme (OGTAP), and Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) new multi-discipline engineering technician standard currently under development.

Credit-rated units in renewable technologies including offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and oil and gas have been created and the work has seen strong collaboration between industry and other skills bodies including ECITB, COGENT, and ESP.

Collective industry bodies forecast that by 2030 there will 207,500 roles to fill across oil and gas, offshore wind, hydrogen and CCUS which is an increase of 59,000 on 2021.

Maggie McGinlay, CEO of ETZ Ltd, said: “The North East of Scotland is at crucial milestone in its ambition to accelerate energy transition activities toward meeting net-zero targets. Providing our workforce, particularly future generations, with the necessary skills and qualifications to progress their careers within the energy sector is absolutely crucial if we are to fully realise this ambition. ETZ Ltd is delighted to be partnering with OPITO to deliver the All Energy Apprenticeship pilot and we are particularly pleased it will benefit young people in the region including those who live in local communities around the Energy Transition Zone.

Andy Williamson, head of energy transition at OPITO, said: “Through our work on the North Sea Transition Deal, we know that, over the next decade, workforce demand will likely outstrip potential supply due to the acceleration of infrastructure developments and net zero targets, combined with strong competition from other offshore regions and various industrial sectors.

“Building on our 50-year legacy providing standards, training and apprenticeship programmes for the energy industry, this work will offer wraparound qualifications which will allow technicians from oil and gas to supplement their skills and knowledge while ensuring that safety standards and workforce mobility remain paramount.

“We are delighted to have received this funding from ETZ Ltd which will strengthen our partnership and shared objectives to create pathways that will maximise economic benefit and workforce mobility in support of the energy transition in Scotland.”

Read the story on the Aberdeen Business News website here.

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AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

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AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
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Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
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The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
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Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
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Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise