A dearth of women in the oil and gas industry threatens the viability of the sector, the Aberdeen-based Oil & Gas Academy for Scotland (OGAS) has warned.
Rulzion Rattray, OGAS's director, told the Sunday Herald: "Sitting together with the gender imbalance is the crippling skills shortage plaguing the industry and by addressing both issues head on we can ensure a future where the right people fit the right jobs irrespective of gender."
"Our industry is crying out for bright, enthusiastic people. The gaps need to be plugged and at the moment it is largely men who are doing that.
"The reality is that oil and gas remains a fundamentally male-orientated industry, but that surely has to change. A glut of talented women into the industry could yet prove to be its salvation."
OGAS's claim was echoed by Nuria Camps, a psychology student from Barcelona who has researched the skills shortage as a prelude to pursuing a new career in the Scottish industry.
She said: "The oil and gas industry was a field I was always interested in. Coming from an international background and speaking four languages I thought I could fit in. I knew there was a skills shortage in the oil and gas and it was a male-dominated industry which would benefit from the introduction of more females."
Camps has completed an MSc in oil and gas at Abertay University and is now exploring new options to develop her career. She added: "The industry has lots of different jobs. It is not only for engineers as many people think. My personal case is a good example of someone coming from a total different background who has decided to retrain themselves into the oil and gas industry because it has so much potential."
Camps recently took part in a two-day workshop on oil and gas production sharing contract negotiation at Aberdeen University, sponsored and certificated by OGAS.
Established in 2012 to support Scottish Government objectives for the energy sector, OGAS brings together existing skills and expertise with partner institutions and training providers to facilitate innovative and effective oil and gas training and education, supporting the next generation of industry experts "to keep Scotland at the forefront of the oil and gas sector".
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