Harnessing organisational culture to overcome Aberdeen skills shortage

As was widely predicted, we are now seeing the beginnings of an Aberdeen skills shortage in the oil and gas industry. The downturn of 2014-15 resulted in a large cull of talent across the board, as well as turning many workers off the industry due to the perceived lack of stability.

Long before 2014, however, the seeds were sown with a decline in apprenticeships and training as companies were flush with cash and simply went to the recruitment market to fill a short-term demand.

OPITO has stated that by 2025, it is estimated that the UK oil and gas industry needs to attract over 25,000 new people; and around 4,500 of these roles don’t currently exist. OPITO believes that up-skilling companies current workforce will improve efficiency and enable room for extra responsibilities as the industry progresses.

Now would be a good time for companies in the oil and gas industry to assess their organisations for signs of the pending skills shortage in order to make their businesses more sustainable going forward. They should also do their best effort to try and reverse the Aberdeen skills shortage through providing new training and opportunities – for example with apprenticeships and traineeships.

However, let’s remember that recruitment isn’t always a skills challenge. Organisational culture is hugely important and people will gravitate towards companies with a strong reputation for living their values, who offer flexibility and clearly defined career paths.

Consider the ten best employers in the sector – more difficult than you think, right? So there’s plenty room to make yourself stand out.

Companies should also remember that the personal touch is important in recruitment. Many candidates are turned off by online systems, a lack of personal contact and on many occasions a lack of response.

And don’t forget to look outside the sector, benchmark and borrow ideas from the Goldman Sachs and the Googles of this world if you really want to get ahead and make sure you don’t feel the impact of the Aberdeen skills shortage.

So it’s also time for companies to gauge their culture, address the feedback their employees are giving them, and position themselves to be at the front of the queue for resources.

We are experts in creating award-winning organisational cultures, so get in touch with us if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to improving yours – team.admin@hunteradams.co.uk.