Training collaboration in Australia

Abstract

It is 2020 and the Australian oil and gas industry has experienced unprecedented growth. The transition to steady-state operations has been hugely successful. Australia is now well and truly on the global map for oil and gas, and is regarded as world class. Trades and technical operators are skilled, experienced, and safely delivering their jobs. The Australian collaborative training model has been successfully in place for three years, and operators and contractors are satisfied with its impact. But how did the industry successfully make this happen? Looking back to 2015, there were a number of ad hoc collaborative strategies in place to provide oil and gas related skills in Australia. The economic environment at that time, however, necessitated a new look at the collaborative mechanism for reducing operating costs and realising greater efficiencies on workforce development related activities. In 2015, the Resources Industry Training Council (a joint venture between APPEA and CME) identified workforce development collaboration opportunities, and to articulate the value that could be realised from these opportunities. This project sparked a successful Australian collaborative model for workforce development. A unique FutureNow visioning presentation will be used to bring to life a world in 2020 where workforce development collaboration is intrinsic to Australian operators’ DNA, and why and how it stuck this time round. The value will be clearly identified in terms cost optimisation, building an industry culture of trust, and how this was used as a springboard for other successful collaborative opportunities. FutureNow is a fictional representation of the Australian oil and gas industry in 2020, using storytelling to explain a possible journey and outcome for the operators, service providers, workforce, and training bodies.