New Oil & Gas App for Training Records

Offshore workers will for the first time be able to access their training records at the touch of a button wherever they are in the world thanks to a new mobile application which launched November 19.

Oil and gas skills organization OPITO has developed the free TRAIN-R mobile app so workers in any international location are better able to plan and track their OPITO training via an iPhone or iPad to ensure their safety and competency certification is always up to date.

The global industry can verify training records through OPITO’s Central Register and the Vantage system to track personnel working offshore. Individual workers however have to date not been able to access the secure database, relying instead on keeping their own records or receiving notification from their employers.

The OPITO TRAIN-R app allows them to access a personalised calendar of their OPITO training and assessment programmes from anywhere around the world at any time, ensuring they are able to remain up to date and compliant with whatever training is needed for their specific role onshore or offshore.

It will also provide information on the network of OPITO-approved training providers in 40 countries around the world so they can quickly find their nearest approved centre.

With as much as 80% of the estimated 1.5million oil and gas workers worldwide employed on a contracting basis, the app is expected to deliver tangible benefits to both industry employees and employers.

“The need for every offshore worker to be trained to appropriate safety standards and the creation of a system for logging their certification were among the outcomes of Lord Cullen’s investigation into the Piper Alpha tragedy,” said OPITO Group chief executive David Doig.

“This saw workers issued with hard copies of their personal training records up until the establishment of the Central Register and the Vantage system for North Sea operators that we have today. Having a centrally managed database provided employers with the avenue to verify training records and ended the era of the less reliable paper-based system.

“Advances in mobile application technology however mean that once again, every individual can now have their personal training record in their hands. It gives the offshore workforce more ownership over their training, provides them with proof of their verification at the touch of a button and ensures they have one less thing to remember to do when they are back onshore.”

Mike Horgan, global sector leader of brownfield and asset management at Amec Foster Wheeler and OPITO chairman said: “Our workforce is not only our greatest asset as a company but having a skilled, competent and certified workforce is also vital to the health of the UKCS. Giving workers the ability to manage their training in an easy and flexible way wherever they are in the world will ensure they remain certified in all aspects of their job.”