Government targets of deriving 15% of energy from renewable sources have created a number of challenges which many organisations are now addressing.

While the political and consumer will is very strong, there are a number of key strategic issues which still need to be tackled to make sure that this goal can be met, and not least of these is ensuring there is a sufficiently skilled workforce available to meet demand.

The nascent offshore windfarm and tidal projects will be core to the UK’s renewable sector. To achieve the development and subsequent maintenance of these installations, there will need to be a sizeable skilled subsea workforce and, in turn, the specialist training providers who will equip these personnel with the relevant expertise and knowledge need to be prepared to provide the industry with those skills.

The Underwater Centre in Fort William, the world’s leading provider of subsea training, is playing an increasingly high profile role in helping to tackle the skills shortage through the delivery of its specialist training programmes to those people seeking to retrain and work in the subsea sector.

A significant number of students who have completed courses at the centre are now involved in renewables projects.

The centre’s flagship courses are those for commercial diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle piloting. Skilled divers and ROV pilots will be pivotal in the development of offshore windfarms and tidal power projects.

Originally set up in the 1970s by the British Government as an accredited diver training centre, The Underwater Centre was purchased by local company, The Crannog Concept limited, in 2004.

The centre has since invested heavily; installing new industry standard equipment, course development, operational infrastructure and the recruitment of specialist, expert staff, to complement the existing team. All of this has resulted in The Underwater Centre further cementing its position as the world’s leading provider of subsea training.

The facility is based on the shores of Loch Linnhe, an inland sea loch which plummets to depths of 150 metres, deeper than most parts of the North Sea. Unlike other training providers, The Underwater Centre retains a lease on the seabed surrounding its pier complex, meaning that they have been able to create numerous work stations such as a simulated well jacket, a section of pipeline and a subsea welding station on their dive site.

This unique natural location allows the centre to provide a realistic training environment and this reflects that overarching ethos of the centre – to deliver industry relevant courses and ensure that its students have the skills, expertise and right attitude to work in the subsea profession.

The recovering oil price will exacerbate the existing skills shortage, according to Steve Ham, general manager of The Underwater Centre.

“Whilst oil prices saw an unprecedented high level in 2008, the subsequent economic crisis led to a reduction in new oilfield development projects. This had a temporary knock-on effect as it meant fewer jobs for divers and ROV pilots in the oil and gas sector, leading to personnel gravitating towards renewables projects.

“However, the recovery of oil prices will mean that many subsea workers are likely to return to the lucrative oil and gas sector, leaving a significant skills shortage for the renewables industry at a crucial time when we need to be providing both people and resources for these developments.

“As a training provider, the growth of the renewables industry provides a great opportunity. We are at the core of equipping men and women with the specialist subsea skills which will be essential in working on an offshore windfarm. We believe, though, that we should be taking this a step further and are looking at a number of options, such as placing renewables structures on the seabed which will allow students to experience, first hand, the facilities they'll be required to work on.”

The Centre’s Premium Commercial Diving course, which runs for 13 weeks, qualifies successful students to work as commercial divers both inshore and offshore. As well as equipping students with a range of diving skills, the course also covers tools use, rigging skills, non destructive testing and welding and burning training; all of which are essential for working in both the inshore and offshore sectors.

The centre advises students, even though they are qualified to work offshore on completion of their course, to spend some time working in inshore (also known as civils) diving as this represents an excellent opportunity to hone their skills.

ROV students benefit from a two pronged approach to learning. Along with delivering essential electronic modules, the course also gives students practical experience: they fly real ROVs in a lifelike subsea environment where snagging your umbilical on a pipeline has to be resolved using piloting skill, rather than pressing the reset button on a simulator.

Live flying gives students experience in a range of conditions as well as the much needed practical experience of maintaining a live ROV system. When you factor in to this their undertaking tasks like diver observation, inspection and survey, it's easy to see why The Underwater Centre's students are so attractive to potential employers.

The ROV sector itself is looking forward to a strong long term future according to industry analysts, Douglas Westwood, who have forecast operational expenditure on work class ROVs will increase to $2.4 billion by the end of 2012.

As well as targeting the renewables sector as an area of growth, The Underwater Centre is also looking at increasing its focus on further internationalisation.

A recent visit to the facility by the Indian Consul General underlined the centre’s longer term ambitions to expanding its presence in the sub-continent. Its reputation as a global provider of subsea training has been underpinned recently with accreditation from two prestigious national bodies.

The British Accreditation Council is recognised globally as the highest mark of educational quality in the private sector and will boost the centre’s thriving international recruitment market as visas are now only issued to overseas students attending accredited institutions.The centre is also a preferred supplier for the Career Transition Partnership, a national body which provides specialist careers and resettlement advice to ex-Forces personnel.

Mr Ham said the Fort William facility is looking at a number of ways of building business in various regions across the globe.

“Further internationalisation is very much a priority for us,” he said. “Our instructors, who have a well deserved reputation as market leaders in their specific fields, travel abroad to deliver a range of our courses and we also attract a number of overseas students to the centre. This highlights our global reputation as a subsea training provider.

“We are a centre of excellence. This has been recognised independently by our recent endorsements from The British Accreditation Council and The Careers Transition Partnership.

“The beauty of The Underwater Centre is the fantastic range of students who come here. We have attracted people from a range of different backgrounds – from those made redundant from jobs in steel, automotive and engineering industries to ex-Forces personnel looking for their next challenge.

“What all of these people have in common is that they are all looking for a new challenge and the opportunity to reap the financial and lifestyle rewards of working in the subsea sector. Subsea companies know our reputation and our emphasis on training in industry relevant conditions with industry relevant equipment so they can be confident that our students leave us ready to hit the seabed running.

“We also attract students from all corners of the globe so there is a true international feel at The Underwater Centre.”

As well as a global training provider, The Underwater Centre is become well known as an excellent location to test new technology for subsea industry. Last year, the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), which has been designed and built by a consortium led by Rolls Royce, was tested at The Underwater Centre.

At the other end of the scale, St Andrews University used The Underwater Centre to shoot a short promotional film for their fibre optic subsea lighting technology which has been developed and marketed by the university's own commercial operation under the brand Photosynergy.

Mr Ham believes that the future is looking very positive for The Underwater Centre as it looks to take advantage of changes within the subsea sector.

“This is a really exciting, yet challenging, period for The Underwater Centre. There are many opportunities for us, both with the growth of new industries, such as the renewable sector, as well as expanding our geographical horizons into other international areas.

“In the six years since buying the centre, we have pursued a strategy of investing in a wide array of industry standard equipment and technology and attracting a very high calibre of staff with expert knowledge and relevant experience. Just as importantly, we have had the foresight to look to what is happening, currently and in the future, across our relevant industries and ensure that we continue to play an integral role in providing training and expertise to the energy sector.”

www.theunderwatercentre.co.uk