Please tell us about Skills Development Scotland, and more specifically about the Transition Training Fund. e.g. What problem were you trying to solve?

Skills Development Scotland is a national body which strives to ensure employers have the right skills at the right time in high performing workplaces, and that every individual has the skills and confidence to get a job and achieve their full potential.

The Transition Training fund supports those who have been made redundant or face redundancy from the oil and gas sector to retrain. People can claim up to £4000 in grants to help them retrain, up skill or get accreditation or certification, enabling them to secure alternative employment. The fund is open to individuals who wish to access a training course, and have identified a training need, that will help them get new employment.

What kind of training is offered, and what type of jobs do individuals who have gone through the programme go on to do?

Individuals accessing the Fund identify a bespoke training package that they feel gives the best line of sight back into employment. The outcomes post training are diverse. We’ve had drillers become drone pilots, commercial geologists turn into University researchers, an engineer becoming a bike technician and shop owner, and even a helicopter pilot retraining to become a chimney sweep!

What are the advantages of re-skilling people with technical skills who have already worked in the Oil and Energy sector?

You are dealing with people who have a readily transferable skills who are used to working in a dynamic, innovative environment.