Senior figures in the oil industry have been meeting to find new ways to attract talent to the sector.
The move follows recent surveys which show a worrying skills shortage as demand for workers grows.
Demand for places on the Opito modern apprentice scheme is huge there were more than 1800 applicants for the 100 places available.
With predictions that the industry will need 120,000 new recruits in the next decade workers simply can not be trained fast enough.
On Wednesday industry leaders met to discuss how they can attract new talent.
Malcolm Webb, of Oil and Gas UK, said: “It’s true to say that in the ‘90s there was a bit of a holdback on recruitment at one point so if there is an issue we believe it is in that sort of experienced five to ten to 15 years person, so we need to think of innovative solutions to that.
“What can we do to go to other industries for example.”
Trainees are the backbone of the future workforce but there is a huge concern that the demand for experienced workers in far outstripping supply and that women are an untapped talent pool.
With capital investment expected to increase by 40% in the North Sea, it is inevitable the demand for skilled workers will continue to grow.
It is now more vital than ever that the skills gap is addressed before it becomes a yawning chasm.
