East Africa oil and gas mission for Scottish training providers

ENERGY: Firms and colleges join SDI delegation

Dundee and Angus College is among a group of Scottish training providers bound for east Africa this week.

The delegation, organised by Scottish Development International, is to gauge the training need for more than 100,000 locals as Tanzania and Mozambique looks to build out its oil and gas, mining and construction industries.

With little or no government budget, the region relies on initiatives such as Skills for Oil and Gas in Africa (Soga), co-funded by the UK’s International Development department. The Scottish mission follows visits to the region in 2014 and 2015 which resulted in a number of deals being struck, including a contract between Dundee and Angus College and People Positive East Africa to provide welder training in Kenya.

“Scotland is a world-leading training hub for the oil and gas sector and is well placed to support East Africa’s skills shortages,” said David Rennie, Scottish Enterprise’s International sector head for Oil and Gas.

“Companies are already seeing success in this key market and this third mission aims to facilitate, in this current climate, even more opportunities for our supply chain, particularly for those companies visiting for the first time.”

East Africa is a new international market for north east-based Explosion Protection International Training.

General manager Martin Constable said: “Our push now, with the support of Scottish Development International, is to increase business in the Middle East and parts of Africa, and through a focussed and structured approach we are optimistic about achieving success.”

The Africa mission came as energy services giant Wood Group secured a new international contract.

The north east firm will provide engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services to the Hibernia platform off Newfoundland.

A massive skills shortage in east Africa is opening up opportunities for Scottish firms and training providers.