The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Government fails to give figures for oil jobs initiative
No records from taskforce on how many energy professionals got help to find new employment
THE Scottish Government has admitted it does not know how many people were helped back into work by its energy jobs taskforce.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the taskforce to much fanfare in 2015 in response to the oil downturn, with the aim of mitigating job losses and creating new opportunities.
The group was wound down last year, despite warnings it was “premature”, given the uncertainty in the sector.
And now the Scottish Government has come under fire after admitting it “does not have information” on the number of people it helped.
In a response to a freedom of information request, the government pointed to the taskforce’s various initiatives, such as the Transition Training Fund – which offered grants to help people retrain – but could not offer employment figures.
Critics say it “beggars belief ” that there is no record, and claimed it meant it will never be known how many people were helped back into work.
North East Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said: “It is a surprise that they can’t give an answer to this question, and the fact that they can’t do so suggests they haven’t made any effort to track down where people went.”
Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse insisted there were various reasons it had not been possible to track the success of those supported, such as people moving overseas.
The Scottish Government has been condemned after admitting it does not know how many workers were helped back into employment through its energy jobs taskforce.
The taskforce was launched with much fanfare in 2015, with the aim of mitigating job losses caused by the oil downturn.
It was wound down last year, despite concerns it was “premature” given the continued uncertainty in the oil and gas sector. And now the Scottish Government has admitted it “does not have information” on the number of people the taskforce helped back into work.
Opposition parties last night accused the SNP of being “all spin and no substance” – and claimed it may never be known if the group was successful.
In a response to a freedom of information request, the government said: “Whilst it is difficult to exactly quantify the exact number of jobs safeguarded and secured, there has been a huge amount of work undertaken to support the thousands of individuals impacted by the slowdown.”
It pointed to the Transition Training Fund – which offered grants to help people retrain or improve their skills – international trade missions, decommissioning funding and work with the Offshore Contractors Association as examples of some of the help provided.
North East Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said: “It is extraordinary the government doesn’t even want to venture a ballpark figure on an estimate.
“That shows a lack of confidence in whatever information they do have, and there’s very little sign of engagement with workers.
“It is a surprise that they can’t give an answer to this question and the fact that they can’t do so suggests they haven’t made any effort to track where people went.”
Ross Thomson, Conservative MP for Aberdeen South, said: “It beggars belief the SNP government has not kept track of how many people have been helped back into work.
“The whole point of this taskforce – launched with great fanfare at the time – was to support oil workers that had lost their jobs.
“But this response suggests we may never know if it was effective or not.”
However, Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse defended the “positive impact” of the taskforce, and said: “We have difficulty in pinning down an exact figure.
“We can’t put false information out there but we can give examples of where we’ve had an impact and I’m confident we’ve had a very positive one.
“It’s not in any shape or form a desire to avoid giving an answer”
“I know for example the work that the energy jobs taskforce took forward with the transition training fund that we’ve exceeded expectations. We’ve helped close to 3,800 people through the transition training fund – the target was 3,000 – and we know that 69% of them have gone into jobs.
“What we don’t know about is those who didn’t contact the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment team and who haven’t sought support how they have fared.
“That’s more difficult to track and also where you have migrant workers as well where they’ve maybe left the area, you then lose contact with them.
“It’s not in any shape or form a desire to avoid giving an answer – it’s more the case that we need to be absolutely certain of the information we put out there, and there’s obviously some unknowns in there.”
The taskforce was wound up last year amid evidence of “cautious optimism” returning.
Latest figures published last month by Oil and Gas UK state the number of jobs supported by the industry has dropped by more than 180,000 since 2014, although prospects have started to pick up again.