As the renewables industry continues to grow at a rapid rate, we look at the top transferable oil and gas skills for those looking to move into the renewable energy sector.
Many oil and gas companies are leading the charge in the growth of renewable and more sustainable energy resources. With this growth comes the need for an experienced workforce to cater for the number of new projects around the world.
While renewable energy projects are still in their infancy compared to the traditional oil and gas and petrochemical industry, there is a real need for professional recruitment in the renewables sector.
Interested in learning more about how you could transfer your skills from the oil and gas industry to the renewables sector? Read on to discover how we can help with your oil and gas job search!
The Rise of Renewable Energy
With the increasing adoption of renewable energy technologies in solar, offshore and onshore wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and bioenergy, the workforce landscape in these sectors has been evolving rapidly.
The renewable energy sector requires a varied range of skills and expertise to design, construct, operate and maintain these new sustainable energy systems – and the great news is that many of these skills are transferable.
Anyone with expertise from the oil and gas industry across the project lifecycle, such as design engineering, process engineering, and project management, to production and health and safety, will be highly sought after in the renewable industry.
Research shows that 90% of oil and gas industry workers have skills which can be transferred to new offshore jobs in renewable energy.
So, with that in mind, we’ve shared some of the main transferable skills the renewable industry is looking for that those with experience in the oil and gas industry may possess - and how these skills can be utilised in a new career.
Top Transferrable Skills Between Oil and Gas and Renewables
1. Technical/Engineering Expertise
Within the oil and gas industry, there are many variations when it comes to technical and engineering disciplines. These range from instrumentation, mechanical, and process engineering, to electrical engineering and geology.
These and many more are highly sought after in new energy projects as the skills can be applied right away. Having a solid understanding of technical systems, mechanical processes, and health and safety standards can go a long way to add credibility to an exciting new role during the energy transition.
2. Project Management
Project management skills are also in high demand due to many renewable projects still being in the early stages of the lifecycle.
Project managers coming from an oil and gas background need to be able to coordinate or direct environmental studies, engineering or construction activities, permitting, and proposals for oil and gas projects.
With key responsibilities including creating plans such as scope of work, schedules, and costs, these skills can be directly applied to any energy project, where collaboration with multiple stakeholders, joint ventures, and diverse teams is essential.
3. HSE
Like any large project or facility, such as a refinery or an offshore platform, health and safety is paramount to ensure safe and continuous operation, and first and foremost, the health and safety of its workforce.
This knowledge is just as important to the renewable industry as to traditional oil and gas projects. For example, onshore and offshore windfarms are situated in remote locations and sometimes inhospitable environments, so ensuring all safety measures are in place and carried out is essential.
4. Risk Management
Identifying and nullifying potential hazards such as oil spills and fires is crucial to the oil and gas industry, where effective risk management identifies and mitigates risk to reduce the likelihood of accidents. This approach can be carried forward across any renewable project to reduce any possible event that affects employees and the environment.
Additionally, other important areas of risk are financial and regulatory. Financial risks relate to fluctuations such as energy prices and exchange rates, whereas changes in legislation identify risks within local, national, and international regulation. All are highly transferable to new green energy roles.
5. Regulatory Compliance
Oil and gas projects have always been highly regulated to ensure the safety of their workforce and the environment they operate in. The same can also be said for any offshore wind project, typically carried out during the planning phase.
To remain compliant and reduce any impact on the environment, companies would need experienced personnel to work in and with groups related to geology, wildlife conservation, ecology, air quality, and noise, to name but a few - as well as adhering to multiple governing bodies and regional standards.
6. Production
As mentioned earlier, an energy project needs health and safety professionals to ensure safe operation. However, asset/portfolio managers, production managers, process engineers, and production engineers are also responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the operation in terms of technical performance, maintenance, and optimisation of their assets.
This also applies to any new renewable operation. For example, offshore wind farms, hydroelectric dams, and solar farms can contain hundreds of individual assets and equipment which need to be monitored continuously.
As such, any experience in roles that involve inspections, reliability, inventory, safety, and spare parts management of the physical assets can be directly applied to renewables to ensure the efficient and safe running of the project.
7. Financial and Accounting
Every energy project, from a hydroelectric dam to new photovoltaic system, has a cost associated to it. This could include land acquisition, workforce placement, construction and operational costs, and more - so being commercially aware and making financial decisions can be applied across sectors.
8. Soft Skills
Finally, there are several transferable qualities or general traits that are identified through work which are highly desirable in any industry, which helps employees set themselves apart as being essential for professional success.
Having leadership qualities such as thinking strategically and having the ability to help others grow and motivate your team to achieve business goals can go a long way in any industry. What’s more, other obvious characteristics to make you more prominent include:
Critical thinking and problem solving
Effective communication
Collaboration and teamwork
Adaptability and flexibility
Scheduling and time management
How Orion Group Can Help
While there are a number of transferable skills, some roles from oil and gas to renewables won’t be a natural match - which means there may be a requirement to adapt, learn new technologies, and learn new skills.
However, whatever the role you are currently in, if you are thinking about transitioning to the renewable industry, be assured that the knowledge and experience you have will almost certainly bring value and multiple benefits to new potential energy companies.
If you’d like to learn more about renewable opportunities, we’re here to help. Here at Orion Group, we’ve got years of experience in both oil and gas and renewable energy recruitment – which means our expert team are perfectly placed to help you with your oil and gas job search.
So, from oil and gas engineering jobs to solar energy opportunities, browse our current vacancies to see if any are of interest to you. Alternatively, contact us today to find out more about how we can help.
