Just like the black gold that’s pumped out of the North Sea, the Oil and Gas industry itself never sits still for long.
It’s constantly moving forward, evolving, assimilating new regulations, exploring new oilfields and second-guessing volatile markets.
This movement means the engine powering the sector constantly needs retuned and recalibrated to suit the needs of both the workforce and consumers.
It is a constant state of flux that directly affects the entire industry, from top to bottom.
You only need to look at the representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, Oil & Gas UK, to see change in action: it has just announced the appointment of four brand new board members.
The positions filled include a treasurer position and a representative of aviation – roles that didn’t even exist in their current capacity when companies first began drilling in the North Sea.
As we all know, until 1964 the UK imported its oil from across the globe but that all changed with the UK Continental Shelf Act that year.
Seismic exploration and the first well followed later that year.
BP’s Sea Gem rig struck gas in September 1965, with larger finds following in 1966. In 1969 Phillips Petroleum discovered oil in Norwegian Waters in the North Sea, which in turn led on to the AMOCO Montrose Field find North of Aberdeen, and to BP’s Forties field in 1970 and Shell’s Brent field.
Ever since then, the North Sea industry hasn’t looked back – but it’s had some serious adapting to do in the intervening years, all of which has impacted on recruitment.
Engineers have always played a massive role in the extraction of oil, but nowadays they are in most demand to ensure the cost-effective and ergonomic design and maintenance of machinery.
Back in 1969 health and safety was also not the issue it is now, but following the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, offshore safety management and legislation changed beyond all recognition.
The safety of on-site workers is now paramount for Operations Managers, Engineers and Plant Workers alike.
Project Management roles, meanwhile, have grown to become more statistical and efficiency-orientated than ever before as the North Sea industry adapts to its exposure on the world stage in a market that has seen 40 billion barrels of oil extracted so far.
But what next for North Sea oil and gas jobs of the future?
Oil is largely oversupplied globally. This means engineering, design and director roles must focus on cutting costs and developing technologies and systems that offer smarter, more efficient extraction.
Management roles, in particular, will be more important than ever, with the focus on maximising efficiency of production, managing demand and developing strategies that are responsive in an often fluctuating marketplace.
Like never before the manager must be as hands-on as possible, employing the right staff and working to maximise the huge investments that have been made.
It’s predicted there could be 24 billion barrels remaining and up to 30 to 40 years of production left in the North Sea.
So we can expect the industry to keep on moving at an equally frantic pace in the years to come – the evolution continues and it’s going to be a long time before the North Sea gets to take a well-earned rest.
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