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• Cogent SSC on the front line as Government unveils skills priorities
• Unocal Thailand adopts the OPITO standards
• Heating installers prepare for dramatic changes
• www.nerip.com is launched
• Majority of employees believe training helps them do their job better 
• Chemical industry priorities revealed
• Report reveals young attitudes to science, oil and gas and nuclear industries
• Leicester students take part in National Science Week
• TUC outlines plans for new union academy
• UK agreement to strengthen security at Russian Nuclear Centre
• New Licence offer opens up North Sea
• Nuclear future 'a serious option' for Scotland 
• NDA launched
• E-Learning and Game Simulation for Oil and Gas

At a reception at 11 Downing Street, attended by the Chancellor Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly, the first employer-led agreements which will have lasting implications for tackling skills issues within their sector were unveiled.

The new Sector Skills Agreements, strongly endorsed by the Government’s Skills White Paper also published in March, ensure that education and training more closely meets the real needs and demands of industry.  They are being developed by all Sector Skills Councils, including Cogent, in partnership with employers, unions, trade organisations, colleges and universities, funding bodies, and qualifications authorities.

Mervin Dadd, Cogent’s Head of External Affairs said: “These agreements will help ensure that the skills employers need are the skills they get. They signify a real prioritisation of skills and training by business and the government.

“This has been an opportunity for the industry to voice what it really wants and needs from the education and training sector to achieve continued growth and success."

Cogent said that there is very real evidence that government and public agency policy is shifting to become more responsive to the needs of business. The process of developing Sector Skills Agreements is forging closer working relationships between the two which will help make that a reality. Cogent is already working with employers to develop a Sector Skills Agreement for the sectors in its footprint.

Speaking at the reception, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly, said: “The Government has made good progress on skills, working with the National Skills Alliance. But the weaknesses in our national skills record are well known and go back generations.

“Improving our national skills base must be a joint endeavour between Government, employers, trade unions, colleges and other training providers.  If we tackle the challenges that face us we have a real opportunity to make a fundamental change for the better, for individuals, for employers, for the country."

The first Sector Skills Agreements have been developed in the following sectors (SSC in brackets):

IT (e-skills UK)
Construction (SEMTA)
Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA)
Audio Visual Industries (Skillset)

Unocal assessed its operational needs and current training activities against the Cogent SSC Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Emergency Response standards more commonly recognised as The OPITO ‘Standards of Competence for Emergency Response'. The standards underpin the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) guidelines for ‘The Management of Competence and Training in Emergency Response’ and define the competence requirements and safety training for the UK offshore Oil & Gas Industry.

The OPITO standards are competency based and have been designed to ensure all personnel on board an offshore facility have the necessary skills and knowledge required to respond effectively in the event of an offshore emergency.

A course comparison was made of the Unocal Basic courses against the OPITO Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (T Bosiet) and Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (T Foet) Standards.  The company found that the facilities at Unocal Settapat Centre were satisfactory for it to offer almost all OPITO approved courses including advanced training for emergency response teams.

Cogent auditors carried out a thorough and robust audit of the Settapat facilities, equipment, training instructor competence, and management systems. The outcome of the audit was that the centre be recommended for OPITO Approval for the delivery of basic offshore survival training and specialist fire-fighting. This recommendation has been ratified by the Cogent Chief Executive and Chairman.

Advantages
Unocal Thailand feel their employees and the Settapat Centre (in Sonkla) will gain a number of key advantages from obtaining OPITO approval including continued high quality training; compliance with laws/standards/policies; optimised training resources; the ability to train personnel to internationally recognised standards; regular updates (as required) of Unocal Thailand training needs; international recognition for the training program and provision for third party audit.

The new training standards have now been implemented through revision of GPR 07-19 (Guide on Procedures and Requirements for Offshore Safety Orientation and Emergency Response Training Standards). 

Unocal has three decades of successful energy development history in the country and Thailand is the company’s primary gas-producing area outside the United States. Gross natural gas production averages more than 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd).

The company operates 100 platforms in the central Gulf of Thailand, supplying natural gas to generate 30 percent of the nation’s total power demand. Of the natural gas produced, more than 75 percent is used to generate electricity. The remainder is used for industrial fuel, transportation fuel, cooking gas and petrochemical feedstock.

Recently the company started its first crude oil production from the Gulf of Thailand. Gross oil production Yala-Plamuk complex is nearly more than 16,000 barrels (Unocal, 71.25%) per day (bpd). This equals 25 percent of the current indigenous output of crude oil in Thailand.

Tara Tiradnakorn, Unocal President New Training Standards for Safety and Emergency Response said, “Unocal Thailand continually strives to maintain and improve the safety and efficiency of our operations in support of our goal of providing energy supplies to the Kingdom of Thailand.  Our approach to safety and the training and capabilities of our staff is the foundation of our ability to continue to be the energy supplier of choice in Thailand. 

“Unocal Thailand is pleased to be recognised as a training leader in South East Asia through the OPITO certification process.”

David Doig, Head of Cogent Products & Services said: ” The Settapat Centre is an excellent facility well managed by high calibre staff who recognise the value of OPITO training. We are proud of our association with Unocal Thailand and commend their efforts in gaining OPITO Approval. It was clear from the outset that Unocal is committed to ensuring its workforce is competent to enter the workplace. By taking a standards based approach to workforce development using the OPITO standards this goal will be achieved.

"OPITO standards are now delivered in 17 countries, bringing a commonality to Offshore Emergency Response training which is globally recognised and delivers real value to the industry”

Sustainable Energy Minister Larry Whitty said: "This is very encouraging news for the heating industry as well as consumers. Changes to Part L of the building regulations regarding heating, which come into force on 1st April will have a major impact on the industry, and installers must be prepared. The training not only helps heating installers keep up to date on the rules and regulations but also offers an excellent grounding in energy efficiency. It is an essential and fundamental qualification for the industry.”

Cogent Project Leader, Swapna Kak said, "There will be increasing demand for more installers with the right know-how and qualifications, and so we need to see more installers signing up for the training.”

The changes to Part L of the building regulations will mean that all new gas boilers fitted in both new and existing dwellings should be high efficiency condensing boilers. There will be exceptions where this will not be possible, likely to be around 5 per cent. This would result in about 7.6 million new condensing boilers being installed by 2010, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tonnes a year.

Qualification
The qualification, a one-day training and assessment session covers topics such as, an introduction to climate change, a guide to promoting energy efficient options to consumers and background on legislation changes.

Roy George an installer from Surrey who attended the course last year, said: "It provided an excellent broad overview of how I can prepare for the changes to Part L of the building regulations, the most dramatic change to our industry since the introduction of gas. I also feel that the background on climate change and energy efficient options offers an additional boost to my business."

Swapna Kak added, “Over 10,000 Heating Installers now have a business advantage over the heating installers who have not undertaken this training.

These fully trained installers will be able to self certificate their installations from 1st April, whilst those installers who have not, will be required to apply for Building Control inspection and pass on the resulting fee and additional costs in their time to customers.”

Training Funding is still available to pay for the free training for a further 15,000 until the end of July 2005, but while there are now over 116 Centres approved, some centres are already indicating that they have bookings into May 2005.

NERIP's overall purpose is to improve the capacity of the region for using evidence in the development of regional strategies. The site provides NERIP with a much awaited means of disseminating information about the region to a wider audience.

NERIP is planning to grow the content on the site over the coming months and interested parties are invited to respond with suggestions and offers of content or links to other sites that they believe will be of value to strategists and policy makers within the region. Anyone with ideas should email:  mailto:[email protected]

The site includes a number of different types of content:

Briefings and Reports: reports are downloadable files and/or links to information resources on other websites that provide information about the region.
Contacts: contains details of people within the region in relation to the key topic areas:  the economy, society and the environment
Links:  a list of organisations that might be able to help
Indicators: the indicators provide a high level statistical profile of the region
News: short items of interest to users of the site
Collaborative Zone: this is an area where those in the policy-making arena can share ideas

Jon Carling Head of NERIP said:  “The ‘P’ in NERIP stands for Partnership. We will continue to work behind-the-scenes to find and add new content to the site, but real success will come from the Partnership as a whole. Please have a look at the site and email us with your suggestions for content. Above all we hope you will find the site useful. Please let us know what you think about it.”

NERIP comprises some 60-plus organisations which all aim to improve the quality of life for people in the North East of England.

However some staff still believe they are not being given enough training opportunities (21%). And the research shows that those who already have an academic qualification, or have already received training, are most likely to get further training.  The more learning an individual undergoes the more confident they are in requesting further opportunities and one of the groups who received the most training are those with a degree.

The research involved interviews with 750 people who had participated in a training activity at work in the past 12 months. It examined whether enough training was available, if it was relevant and what the preferred methods of training are.

Mervin Dadd, Cogent Head of External Affairs, said: “Employers need to make sure that staff at every level are encouraged to take up training opportunities if they are to close the skills gap most organisations face today. It is heartening to see people taking responsibility for their own development,  but those lacking in confidence should be given more support.”

In the run up to the General Election, the CIA argues that the correct public policy framework will help the chemical industry to continue to be productive and innovative and to work sustainably.

Judith Hackitt, CIA Director General said: “The year 2005 is important in political terms, notably in the UK and the European Union, with changes pending and new agendas being developed. Given this background, we wanted to highlight our efforts to achieve a truly sustainable industry, at the same time emphasising how the development of fit-for-purpose, co-ordinated public policy can support us in our aims.”

The priorities the CIA is seeking to achieve are:

A supportive trading environment
A flexible labour market and social system
Effective safety, health and environmental regulation
Better land use planning and appreciation of societal risk
Secure supply of raw materials and utilities at competitive prices
Appropriate interventions and instruments to tackle climate change
A competitive tax regime
Education and training regimes that support a knowledge-based industry
A high quality science and engineering base
Support for innovation
A workable EU Chemicals Policy

For a full copy of the booklet go to:

www.cia.org.uk/newsite/Press_Release_Attach/Policy_Priorities_2005.pdf

John Haddon, Cogent’s Nuclear Skills Adviser presented the findings to the East of England Energy Group, he said: “It is clear that early interest in science is soon blunted by boredom and confusion. The findings also reveal that science is a social turn-off and careers advice is often poor or non-existent.”

The students interviewed recognised that their understanding of the nuclear and gas industries was somewhat childlike - and agreed that this was in large part due to the gap between education and industry. 

John Haddon said: “The good news is that pupils are open to new information from visiting speakers. Many have had positive experiences of guest lecturers and are keen to listen to the advice from a range of industries.

 “And the new Science for the 21st century curriculum in secondary schools will hopefully create interest in the sectors. Industry will have a great opportunity to talk to teachers and pupils and we should grasp the opportunities if they arise. “

The report, Reputation, Perceptions and the Vanishing Workforce, was commissioned by Cogent SSC to look at how perceptions of the oil and gas and nuclear sectors were impacting the pursuit of science education and careers. 

Focus Group
Regester Larkin ran a focus group with graduates, all of whom had opted not to take science subjects beyond GCSE or A-level despite having achieved good grades. Cogent wanted to understand the factors involved in pupils’ subject decisions throughout school life and the extent to which the reputations of the oil and gas and nuclear industries played a part.

The perceptions of the industries were based on almost no knowledge and were generally formed at a very young age. Most of the focus group participants stated that they had felt positively towards science subjects early in their school careers. The first experience with Bunsen burners and goggles was, for the majority of the sample, a fascinating one. However, by the time of GCSEs this appeal had been eroded - either through the content or the manner in which science is taught. 

Careers advice at school was felt to be poor by the sample group. In a world perceived as containing ‘no such thing as a job for life’, students felt they were often pushed in a generalist direction.

While there were some positive attributes assigned to oil and gas, such as 'essential' and 'important', the majority had negative connotations: too wealthy; destroying the earth; involved in political issues; alienating; controversial; heading for trouble and too technical.

The students also felt negatively towards the nuclear industry but to a lesser degree than towards oil and gas. Perceptions included: controversial; uncertain; technical; dangerous; explosive; pressured; out of date; ‘three-eyed fish’; weapons; Chernobyl disaster; fuss about Sellafield; and preferable to fossil fuels.

The report said that the good news is that young people are open to new information. For example, “I’m less biased than my parents, we’re more open-minded about these things now - it’s not the hippy generation anymore.”

The author Andrew Griffin said, “the declining pursuit of subjects is something that has to be addressed by government and education authorities; not least the black and white divide with the arts and the negative connotations associated with science. 

“However, the latter requires a more fundamental shift in mindset.  Science has lost its relevance to the young, and this needs to be challenged through the syllabus and a broader understanding of its role in life.  It is here that industry can play an active role.”

For a full copy of the report go to oilandgasimagereport

The day was designed to demonstrate the excitement and importance of chemical sciences in everyday life. It also showed the collaboration between universities and industry demonstrating that a higher education qualification in chemical sciences can lead to some very exciting career opportunities.

The day included hands-on practical activities, inspirational presentations, careers ideas and advice, advice on difficult topics from a senior A-Level examiner, the opportunity to meet scientists from Universities and industry and CPD for accompanying teachers

John Haddon  added: “There were a couple of excellent lectures by Dr Jonny Woodward and the students all took part in practicals on a variety of chemical topics around the theme of chemistry applications in mobile phones - liquid crystals, batteries, biodegradable polymers, silicon chips and so on.”

The Science Learning Centre is one of 9 around the country www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk which provide a CPD resource for teachers of science and which will have a national HQ at York University this summer.

National Science Week is organised by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA).

photo shows students preparing an electrode

In a new report, launched in March at the ‘union academy conference’, the TUC set out the academy’s prime functions. It will offer guidance on training for employers and employees with courses ranging from basic skills to MBAs at colleges, universities and workplaces to suit the individual. Further help will be available through a new helpline and website and the academy will also serve as a think tank and a skills research centre.

The TUC’s report, ‘Learning for Change’, highlights the fact that over 100,000 workers have been helped back into learning since 1998 by 8,000 union learning reps at 400 new learning centres. However it also details the skills gaps that exists throughout all levels in all industries in the UK and how a lack of key skills is stopping people from getting on at work, or even doing their current job properly, costing the British economy millions of pounds each year.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Britain’s skills gap is a key cause of our relatively poor productivity. Unions have a proud track record in helping people at every level from brushing up or improving basic skills to gaining MBAs. The new academy will provide a major boost to the quantity, quality and coherence of the training available to our workforce.

Mervin Dadd, Cogent’s Head of External Affairs said: “The Union Learning Academy is one of a number of important initiatives designed to boost skill levels.  It is clear that union learning representatives are helping to increase the involvement of employees who might not otherwise give much attention to training or even be quite suspicious of it.”

Trade and Industry Minister Nigel Griffiths said: "This is the first major contract under the DTI Global Partnership Nuclear Security Programme. We believe this work will play a vital role in ensuring top level protection for nuclear materials which are based at the Nikiet Institute. Prevention of the proliferation of nuclear materials is one of this Government's highest international priorities, and this project represents a significant landmark in our cooperation with the Russian Federation to address this threat."

Nikiet Institute Director, Dr Gabaraev said:"We regard this as a vital step in improving security at the Institute. We are pleased to be able to work with UK experts in this area and look forward to successful project implementation."

The UK Nuclear Security programme is part of the UK Global Partnership programme against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction agreed at the Kananaskis G8 summit in Canada in June 2002.

The Global Partnership program aims to support specific cooperation projects, initially in Russia, to address non-proliferation, disarmament, counter-terrorism and nuclear safety issues.

For more information go to:  www.dti.gov.uk/energy/nuclear/fsu/news

The DTi says that more than 50 previously fallow blocks will be on offer in this round that were not available in the previous round demonstrating that the Government and Industries 'Fallow initiative' to stimulate activity in the North Sea is working.

The Government's recent innovations in licensing will again be available in this round with the new 'Frontier' and 'Promote' Licence being offered alongside the more traditional type licence.

UK Energy Minister Mike O'Brien said: "The innovative Promote and Frontier licences that we introduced in recent years, and which are on offer in this round, mark another milestone in our commitment to exploit the UK's oil and gas resources on the UK Continental Shelf.

"This 23rd Licence Round includes new areas that have not been available for some years. Together with the results coming out from the Fallow initiative, this reflects the Government's drive to developing and sustaining this vital industry and the jobs that come with it."

Two nuclear power plants generate much of Scotland's energy but they are reaching the end of their lives.  Hunterston B nuclear power station in Ayrshire is set to close in 2011 and Torness, in East Lothian, will last until 2023.

MPs have concluded that renewable energy and imports will not be able to plug the resulting the gap. They have said that a new nuclear power station may be necessary to prevent the "lights going out" in Scotland in the not-too-distant future.

Extending production at the plants could be a stop-gap measure, however, the Labour-dominated committee warned that if vital decisions were not taken now there was a real possibility of “the lights going out across the country”.

The report said it was not a case of having to choose between renewable and conventional forms of energy.  It said that the energy audit recommended by the committee must be on the basis that all current forms of energy - whether renewable, fossil fuel or nuclear - will be necessary.

However, the committee urged caution over assumptions on how much power could be provided by "emerging" sectors like wave and tidal power.

The report conceded that the possible "rehabilitation" of nuclear power would be the most controversial issue: "Nuclear power does have a proven track record, and a new-build power station could take less than five years to complete, but people do have fears about nuclear power. The solution could be a new generation type of nuclear power station."

The new authority (a non-departmental public body) is now responsible for the nuclear facilities which have until now been managed by British Nuclear Fuels plc and United Kingdom Energy Authority including former research facilities, nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, waste disposal facilities and Magnox nuclear power stations.

The decommissioning work will be carried out by contractors which will initially include British Nuclear Fuels and United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. The agency said that it is highly conscious of the fact that decommissioning will present unpredictable challenges which will depend on advances in science and technology to resolve.

Sir Anthony Cleaver, NDA Chairman said: “Many of the UK sites - whether built for research or power generation - have reached or will shortly reach the end of their active lives. The nature of the decommissioning process means these facilities cannot simply be switched off and demolished, but will take many decades to decommission.

“One of the issues we face is the limited information available on how the sites were planned, designed and built. Unlike the more modern plants, decommissioning was not necessarily considered back in the 40s, 50s and 60s and many of the plants were built to a variety of designs, with many one-offs.”

John Haddon, Cogent’s Nuclear Skills Adviser said: “The separation of the cleanup liability for state owned nuclear sites into a single body is welcome and Cogent is engaging with the NDA and its contractors to ensure that the skills and the competence frameworks for this activity are in place as they are needed.

“The operating nuclear power stations still provide an essential part of the electricity used in the UK and should continue to do so as long as they can do so safely and economically. The skills for operation and maintenance of the power stations must be maintained and Cogent will be a partner and support to the employers in this next phase. “

The launch of the NDA represents the start of a project that will cost an estimated £48bn and could take more than 100 years to complete.

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