OilVoice - Scottish Training Alliance Spreads Its International Wings with New Director and Chairman

Scottish Training Alliance Spreads Its International Wings with New Director and Chairman

Sunday, September 05, 2010

International Energy Skills & Training Alliance (IESTA) has appointed a new director to lead the drive to secure new global business for its members.

Gary Boyd has been appointed as director of operations with the training alliance which brings together the very best of Scottish education and training providers to offer a one-stop shop for skills solutions to the global energy industry and to capitalise on a global market worth around £4 billion annually*.

An experienced business development manager, Mr Boyd will be spear-heading IESTA's bid to become recognised as an international skills and training hub for the global energy sector.

He will be assisted by a board comprising members of IESTA and headed up by its newly-elected chairman, Roddy Scott and vice-chairman Colin Turnbull. Mr Scott heads up energy development at Angus College and Mr Turnbull is managing director of Mintra, specialists in delivering technology-led training and learning.

Having held business development positions with Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and Aberdeen College, Mr Boyd has extensive experience in project management and marketing and has established strong links with the energy sector.

Mr Boyd said: 'I'm really excited about working with IESTA at this crucial time in its growth. With many new and existing international markets becoming more viable it's vital that Scotland uses its well deserved reputation as 'the' centre of excellence within the energy industry to secure new and lucrative contracts both within the UK and abroad.'

The new director will be responsible for leading the organisation, identifying and developing business opportunities for its members both within the UK and in key international markets.

'I look forward to enhancing our already robust membership portfolio which represents some of the best and most experienced energy sector training organisations in the world.

'As the Scottish oil and gas industry has developed, a world-class training and education offering has grown up alongside it. This training portfolio, like the North Sea industry it serves, has earned a reputation for technological excellence, best practice and the highest operational and HSE standards.

'It is this compelling proposition that I will be promoting to global companies so that our members win a significant international share in the training and skills market. Under the umbrella of the alliance, member companies can have access to wider opportunities and through collaboration can bid for bigger contracts.'

* A recent study revealed that the global energy sector could provide major growth opportunities to experts in Scotland with £4billion spent every year. Scottish training organisation, IESTA (International Energy Skills & Training Alliance) has confirmed that as rising energy demand pushes global infrastructure, the specialist knowledge needed to recover vital resources is centred in the UK.

A study, produced by Roger Tym & Partners, highlighted subsea oil and gas exploration and hazardous condition environments as the two principal issues upon which Scottish expertise can capitalise.

Global locations including development fields in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australasia - particularly Australia - are said to be the most likely to need support from learning providers with UK experience.

Already mature exploration in the harsh conditions of the UKCS North Sea, which includes deepwater work, means providers in the region are capable of helping to shorten the skills gap affecting those challenging global locations where new developments are almost continuously being exploited.

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