Province Invites Oil, Gas Stakeholders to Address Labour Issues
ENERGY--Province Invites Oil, Gas Stakeholders to Address Labour Force Issues
Nova Scotia's oil and gas stakeholders are getting an opportunity to address projected skills demands in the province's offshore industry.
The Department of Energy is inviting industry, educational institutions and government representatives to the Nova Scotia Petroleum Skills Forum being held Nov. 12-13. The Skills Forum will address upcoming challenges to creating and maintaining a skilled workforce capable of meeting petroleum sector needs and expectations.
From 1990 to 2001, the oil and gas industry injected $5 billion into Nova Scotia's economy. With continued exploration and development of Nova Scotia's offshore, and the projected retirement of experienced personnel in record numbers, the industry faces a potential labour shortage. As all industrial sectors compete for a limited supply of skilled personnel, the question remains whether or not Nova Scotia will have the human resources to satisfy the growing demands of the oil and gas industry.
"By addressing the skills gap now, rather than later, and by bringing together government and industry stakeholders, we will be setting a good foundation for a prosperous oil and gas sector in Nova Scotia for years to come," said Nova Scotia Energy Minister Cecil Clarke.
One of the highlights at the Skills Forum will be a presentation by Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada (Petroleum Council). The Petroleum Council is a sector council whose mandate is to support the upstream petroleum industry in its need to ensure the availability of skilled human resources.
Ms. Knight will be releasing the findings from the Petroleum Council's national human resources study. The steering committee for the study included representatives from Shell Canada Ltd., Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Schlumberger Oilfield Services, Human Resources Development Canada, Petroleum Research Atlantic Canada, Secunda Marine Services Limited, and Duke Energy Gas Transmission.
The second day of the forum will be a full day of roundtable discussions, including a luncheon and keynote address from David Thomson of Irving Shipbuilding Inc. More information on the forum can be found on the Web site at www.gov.ns.ca/energy .
The forum is part of the province's skills initiative, Skills Nova Scotia. Skills Nova Scotia involves working with partners to upgrade people's skills, from basic literacy to the use of the most advanced technologies, to further their success in education and the workplace. Skilled workers are the key to the province's prosperity, creating a prouder, stronger, Nova Scotia.