Following the announcements from the UK and Scottish Governments last week of a range of support for the UK oil and gas industry, including funding of the Aberdeen City Region Deal, Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive Deirdre Michie welcomed further positive news today:
“As the UK offshore oil and gas sector works through these challenging times to restore its competitiveness by improving efficiency, we value the support offered by government and enterprise agencies.
“Scottish Enterprise’s work to make tailored advice available to firms through the downturn, encourage research and development and identify the funding issues being experienced by the sector will also help bolster the business and equip companies for a competitive future.
“We appreciate that the contraction in employment is affecting individuals and their families so we welcome the Scottish Government’s Transition Training Fund to help those affected to re-train for other energy and manufacturing jobs, which will strengthen the support already being provided by the Scottish Energy Jobs Task Force. This move will also help sustain the energy workforce so that when the oil and gas sector emerges from the downturn, the required skills are in good supply.
“This long-term approach aligns with the redevelopment of Aberdeen International Airport aimed at coping with increased passenger numbers which, along with improvements to the tax and licensing regimes, will set the business framework in which the oil and gas industry can achieve an enduring future.”