Nexen offshore staff undergo skills review

An oil major has won approval for a workforce competency management system from an industry skills organisation.

Employees of Nexen Petroleum UK are now working to a Competence Management System (CMS) across three North Sea assets – Buzzard, Scott and Golden Eagle – approved by Opito.

Opito said theCMSguaranteesNexen’s UK staff are performing their roles to “global best-practice criteria".

Nexen deployed around a third of its UK- based workforce to deliver the assurance scheme workscope, which involved developing and enhancing the Chinese-owned firm’s own in-house process.

This led to more robust roles and responsibilities being identified and created within the organisation, Opito said.

Opito carried out a series of audits covering 15 roles across the business.

JohnMcDonald, managing director of Opito UK, said: “Having a system for managing workforce competence independently approved to industry best practice not only ensures there is measured development of employees' skills sets, it helps to set and maintain a framework for continuous improvement and performance management, driving efficiencies and delivering cost benefits across a business.

“The assurance of a skilled and competent workforce is a vital tool in helping companies succeed in the current climate but, more importantly, it ensures that we continue to build a sustainable industry for the future."

He added: “It is extremely encouraging to see an operator like Nexen raising the bar for the rest of the industry by investing in its North Sea workforce in this way.”

Ray Riddoch, UK managing director UK and SVP Europe at Nexen, said: “This was a tremendous team effort involving several departments across Nexen collaborating together and involved around 135 personnel who carried out this challenging task with diligence and integrity over an extended period, ensuring that a Best In Class system was delivered and one can be sustained long-term.”

Nexen said it has plans to develop the CMS and extend it throughout its global operations. More than 1.7million workers UK-wide will be paid below the new national living wage because the rate does not cover the self-employed, according to a report by the Social Market Foundation.

It suggested 1.9million people will not receive the wage when it increases in 2020. The wage of £7.20 an hour will come into force on April 1 for the over-25s, rising to £9 by 2020.

But the study raised fears that companies might move away from directly employing workers towards contracting out services to the self-employed.

Self-employment accounts for more than a seventh of the UK workforce, and almost a fifth in London.

SMF chief economist Nida Broughton said: “Policies such as the national living wagemake it artificially more attractive for firms to engage contractors rather thanemployees, andignore a large section of low-paid workers.”