Transition Training Fund offers support to oil and gas workers

Support for people in Scotland’s oil and gas sector to use their skills in new jobs can now be accessed online thanks to the launch of a dedicated website.

The £12million Oil & Gas Transition Training Fund was announced by the First Minister earlier this year, and is aimed at people who have been made redundant from the oil & gas sector or are at risk of redundancy.

The fund offers support with training grants to help people retrain, improve their skills or get accreditation that would help them move into a new job either in oil and gas, the wider energy sector, or engineering and manufacturing

The website – www.transitiontrainingfund.co.uk – features a simple application process and provides further information.

Retaining skills

The fund is being administered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Mike Duncan, Director of Energy Skills Scotland, part of SDS, said: “Scotland is a world leader and a global centre of excellence in offshore engineering, subsea technology and in the export of offshore goods and services.

“As the sector continues to restructure, it’s vital that this rich resource of skills and experience is retained and redployed in relevant areas of the energy, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

“The Transition Training Fund aims to do that, helping those affected by redundancy access support for training, certification or accreditation that will allow them to find new employment.”

Apply now

The Fund is open to anyone who has worked in the oil & gas sector or in the oil & gas supply chain as an employee or contractor and has either been made redundant or is at risk of redundancy.

Applicants must be actively looking for work and be able to show that the training they wish to undertake will help them find a new job.

Applicants must also live in Scotland, and have either worked in Scotland in their current or previous job or be returning to Scotland to look for work from an overseas post.

Those interested should apply online and can also call SDS on 0808 100 1855 for more information.