“It’s a great opportunity to take the best of an established industry and apply it to a fast-growing sector,” says Harrison Waugh, a project manager who was formerly in oil and gas and now works in the offshore wind sector. On the back of a story about skills for the energy transition in Materials World Magazine for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Harrison (pictured) shared the lessons he has learnt from transferring to the renewables sector from working in oil and gas. The magazine article, which featured an interview with Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (E ..read more

The engineering construction industry (ECI) is at risk of failing to deliver the 40,000 extra skilled workers needed by 2028 unless it better understands what motivates new entrants, according to a report out today. The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) career motivations study Inspiring Directions shows the industry is struggling to appeal to the general population, and in particular young people and women, to help plug looming workforce and skills shortages. The study also highlights that the opportunity to work on net zero may not be a strong enough reason on its ..read more

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) estimated last year that around 25,000 additional workers would be needed for major projects, including those related to net zero by 2026. New research reaffirms this but then reveals the labour demand gap will get wider with an estimated shortfall of 40,000 workers by 2028.  The ECITB’s new Labour Forecasting Tool (LFT) predicts the demand for new workers needed in the engineering construction industry by 2028 is much higher than previously thought. This includes mechanical and electrical engineers, scaffolders, process engin ..read more

The engineering construction industry’s (ECI) brightest and best were celebrated at a prestigious awards ceremony last night at the Cutty Sark in London. The 11th ECI Training and Development Awards, organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), brought together industry leaders, influencers and policymakers, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow, at a ceremony hosted by engineer, broadcaster, teacher and STEM advocate, Kate Bellingham. Inspired by the rich maritime history of the Cutty Sark and with the ceremony taking place beneath its world-famous hull, the ..read more

New Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) Chief Executive Andrew Hockey was on hand to welcome the latest cohort of learners on to the Oil and Gas Technical Apprentice Programme (OGTAP) during their induction day at Forth Valley College in Scotland. He was paying a visit to the Falkirk education provider as part of a tour of Scotland as he looks to meet with a wide range of ECITB stakeholders during his first months in the role. Andrew spoke with the OGTAP apprentices as part of an introduction before Senior Account Manager for Scotland Lisa Williamson and Account Manager ..read more

Employers and industry partners from the engineering construction industry celebrated the 30th anniversary of the CCNSG Safety Passport this week. The CCNSG (Client Contractor National Safety Group) Safety Passport is the nationally recognised safety card for the UK engineering construction industry. The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) launched the programme in 1993 to give workers enhanced health and safety awareness through a quality-assured delivery process. In this time: it has contributed to a steady drop in annual worker fatalities from 96 in 1993 to 30 in the ..read more

Mentors and mentees on the engineering construction industry’s Project Management Mentoring Programme (PMMP) will now benefit from the experience of professionals across all sectors as the scheme broadens its scope. The news comes as the programme launches its tenth cohort of mentors and mentees.  Over an eight-month period, senior industry mentors are paired with developing project managers to share knowledge and experience. The PMMP is organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) with guidance and input from the *Project Management Steering Group (PMSG). I ..read more

“The only way to make a dent in the skills challenges is to work collaboratively across the project life cycle.” This was one of the key themes that came out of Andy Brown’s recent visit to the Shetland Islands. The Interim CEO joined a team from the ECITB that visited the Shetland Islands at the end of April to witness first-hand the breadth of activities that were either happening or in the planning by a number of different organisations. These include major power grid interconnections, up to 600MW of onshore wind, 2.8GW of offshore wind, refitting of the oil terminal, decarbonising existi ..read more

A senior oil and gas engineer has pledged to help ensure industry has the skills for net zero after being named as the new Regional Chair for the North Scotland by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board. Steve Hamilton, who is Chief Technical Authority, EMEA, with Xodus Group in Aberdeen,  takes up the honorary position in the new year.  His role will focus on the offshore industry in the North-east of Scotland with a view to ensure the workforce can meet the challenges of the future. With approaching 30 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry in both technic ..read more

The ECITB’s Project Collaboration Toolkit has been praised as “an extremely valuable resource”, helping to reduce risk and driving value by the developers behind a major subsea project. The ECITB’s Project Collaboration Toolkit has been praised as “an extremely valuable resource”, helping to reduce risk and driving value by the developers behind a major subsea project. Buzzard Phase II has developed new reserves and brought new production in an area around 62 miles north-east of Aberdeen.  Delivered by an ‘Alliance’ led by CNOOC together with its supply chain partners AGR, Baker Hughe ..read more