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2.2 Enhancing Recruitment, Skills and Training Progress to date: achievements and difficulties encountered Formation of the new NTO Group A recommendation of the 1999 Oil and Gas Industry Task Force led to the formation of a National Training Organisation (NTO) Group for the upstream oil and gas industry. The aim was to focus across the industry on improving forecasting of skills needs, co-ordinating delivery, securing investment in the future, minimising skills shortages and gaps, attracting new people and heightening morale. The NTO Group is made up of the four NTOs that have significant roles in serving the various parts of the upstream oil and gas industry. They are the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the Engineering and Marine Training Authority (EMTA), and National Electrotechnical Training (NET). The federal structure of the NTO Group means that member organisations can work together to address issues and provide an across-the-industry focus appropriate to the needs of interdependent stakeholders. The NTO Group has senior level representation from all areas of the supply chain and stakeholder groups, including the trade unions and government. The NTO Group has assumed a leadership role on issues of education, training and lifelong learning within the industry. Sustainable Development Action Plan Workforce development plan for the industry A workforce development plan will be produced and promoted by the NTO Group during 2001 under the leadership of OPITO, with regular Labour Market Intelligence reports produced from the Vantage database. OPITO will engage employers (via UKOOA and relevant trade associations) and other stakeholders to provide feedback on skills needs and provision, promote best practice in training and development and encourage skills benchmarking. A Skills Foresight Report was produced by OPITO in 2000 to provide a detailed view of skills, training and employment pattern issues. It is planned to update this during 2002. The attraction and recruitment of young people The current age profile of the industry is quite high and it is essential to attract talented young people into oil and gas to meet future employment needs. It is necessary to convey the full range of career opportunities available to young people. The NTO Group is developing a comprehensive strategy - Careers in the Oil and Gas Sector (COGS) - to address this. The strategy calls for the formation of at least four more COGS groups to replicate the successful regional group already established in Aberdeen. This includes representatives from Grampian Education Business Partnership, the Institute of Petroleum, the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Grampian Careers Service, as well as individual companies. One deliverable will be the Education Day at Offshore Europe 2001, where for the first time, the NTO Group will present an integrated picture of the full range of career opportunities within the industry. The industry website Oilcareers.com gives access to information for new entrants and a careers advice service will be developed in conjunction with the NTO Group. It is also planned to develop a pan-industry graduate careers strategy between 2001 and 2004. Careers support for the existing workforce and for job changers Careers advice is available for current employees, since many people change jobs or return to the industry each year. The NTO Group has partnered with Oilcareers.com to provide an efficient and transparent alternative to traditional redeployment and recruitment methods, giving existing and potential employees better access to job, career and training opportunities. New entrant training / ongoing training We plan to revitalise the existing system of new entrant technician training and apprenticeships. One target for this initiative will be SME employers - the likely locus for much future technological innovation for the sector. In common with other industries, the offshore industry faces a shortage of skilled technicians to meet current and future needs and we intend to quantify these. We will continue to support our contractors through the ECITB and assist the NTO Group to co-ordinate training between industry sectors. OPITO's 2000 Skills Foresight Report highlighted a lack of attention to ongoing training and development by companies both large and small. We therefore support the NTO Group's efforts (through the 'Better Business with People' project) to promote best practice in training and development and in encouraging employers to view the costs involved as an investment in the future. Encouraging flexibility in the workforce Training is a vital component of the government-industry vision for 2010, essential to help employees adapt to new technologies and business practices. OPITO's 2000 Skills Foresight Report highlighted the need for a flexible workforce at all levels and the development of a pool of skilled people capable of working with other people as well as with technology. We support OPITO's intent to develop its Team Based Working project, which focuses on the behavioural aspects of team working and leadership and the need for adaptability. This links naturally with the Safety Leadership Training (SLT) programme within Step Change.