TSA Insight Magazine Issue 11 - Magazine - Page 38
BRIDGING THE
SKILLS GAP!
An industry in transition – let’s
capitalise on this
We are an industry in transition; you
could argue that we always have been.
I have seen many changes in my time,
be they technology, infrastructure, or
both, especially as we have moved
through the changes brought about
by the PSLG and associated reports
post the 'B' word!
The clock ticks for
the Bulk Liquid
Storage industry to
address the skills
gap!
he bulk liquid storage
sector has been my
life for over 30 years. I
love the people, the
structures, architecture, technology,
and its role in UK PLC. I’m passionate
about its future, but I am also
concerned. I, like others, see an
emerging skills gap as my generation
start to look towards the setting sun,
while emerging generations do not
see our sector as an aspirational
option for career progression.
In the industry's early days and
certainly, when I joined, we undertook
'simple' operations within a 'dirty'
environment. Training was 'on the job'
provided by 'experienced' operators,
embedding the practices of the
time and age. Jobs were generally
gained through who you knew, but
it was (and is) a career with a secure
future. Over time, qualifications
emerged that strove to improve our
standards, underpinned by the Level
2 Diploma in Bulk Liquid Operations,
a qualification that has stood the test
T
of time for over 25 years. However,
progress beyond this has never
been structured, instead relying on
the varying career pathways within
individual companies.
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I N S I G H T
M AG AZ I N E
However, this transition is different. It is
fuelled by an environmental shift and
a focus on new energy sources such
as hydrogen and ammonia, as well
as exploring emerging technology
around carbon capture. All of this
while we must continue to drive the
need for safety in the legacy fuels
and chemicals that will undoubtedly
be with us for the immediate future.
Our industry challenge as these more
'complex' processes around greener
fuels take hold, is that we attract a
new generation of people to pick up
the baton to inspire, promote and
drive forward safety and operational
excellence that underpins what we
do! But, to capitalise on this, we need
to offer a better career pathway that
will not only develop those within our
industry but also attract new talent in.
Career expectations are changing;
our sector needs to keep up
Younger generations are not only
looking for defined career pathways,
they are also intelligently looking at
the 'transferability' of the skills they
have gained within differing (and
competing) sectors. They are also
evaluating their employer's 'green'
credentials as this directly impacts
how we are seen by society as a
whole! The 'one company career' is
very much changing.
The widening skills gap is rapidly
moving towards a skills crisis. Without
change, we risk losing talented people
to other sectors attracted by cleaner,
greener credentials compounded
by the natural loss of immense
knowledge, skill, and experience
through retirement, removing the
educational foundation that not only
maintains this knowledge but also
drives development. Our focus on
career structures needs to shift. We
need to provide a pathway that not
only ploughs our own furrow but also
aligns with other careers because,
without this, all we are offering is a
job! And that is not going to cut it in
attracting the talent we want.
Structured
training
and
qualifications are key
We have made a start. Over the last
ten years and particularly the last 5,
the focus has begun to change, and
a pathway started to develop; for
example, we have:
•
Level 2 Diploma in Bulk Liquid
Operations
•
Apprenticeship Route – forged by
the Science and Manufacturing
Technician Standard, with the
Bulk liquid Terminal Technician
Specialism
•
Level 3 Diploma for a Bulk
Storage Operator Technician (L3
BSOT)
•
Level 5 Principles and Practice of
Process Safety Management.
We talked earlier about renewables
such as hydrogen. This as an
alternative fuel is beginning to get
real traction. Still, with that traction,
we also need to develop competence
standards to meet and maintenance
needs, be that process or personal
safety!
Cogent, along with the TSA and others
from the industry, have picked up
that baton, and national occupational
standards for production, storage,
and distribution are currently being
developed. This is positive for our
sector. If we get the career path right,
it will enable us to lead in attracting
talent. The apprenticeship route
should be the foundation stone that
attracts new young talent into the
sector; it is, after all, a route designed
by industry for industry to not only
deliver but evolve as we evolve
and transition.The qualification that
underpins this route (L3 BSOT) is
also approved by IChemE, providing
successful learners with Engineering
Technician status and a wider career
pathway. In the next three months,
we will have operators from the OPA,
BP, Exolum, and OIKOS qualified to
this level – a significant move forward
and achievement for the individuals
personally,
their
respective
companies and our industry!
The opportunity to attract talent
We are making progress, but in truth,
it is slow. We need the whole sector
to get behind this and increase the
pace. If we don’t address the skills
and training gap now, we will not
have the skilled operators to manage
the inevitable changes in our sector,
and that is a very bleak outlook for an
industry I have committed my career
to. The opportunity to attract new
talent is within our grasp, and it will
enable us to transition more smoothly.
If we embrace career pathways and
work together to drive this forward,
we will continue to deliver for UK PLC
and lead others in this transitional
phase that we are on the threshold of.
Lets do this!
Author
John Reynolds, Managing Director,
Reynolds Training Services.
For more information, visit
www.reynoldstraining.com
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