MORE women than ever are working offshore and the average age of workers in Britain's North Sea oil and gas industry is at its lowest level on record.

The number of female workers on Britain's oil rigs and offshore installations in 2009 rose to 1,898, according to a new report by pan-industry trade body Oil and Gas UK.

And the research shatters perceptions that the industry is populated by an ageing workforce, with the average age of an offshore worker standing at 40.4 years. The report also paints a picture of an increasingly multinational industry. Workers from 125 countries were part of the workforce in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in 2009 with workers from the UK accounting for 85 per cent of 51,116 workers, the highest number of offshore personnel on record.

Jenna Omand from Orkney is one of the new breed of women carving out a career in the industry. She is a trainee electrical and instrument designer for Wood Group Engineering (North Sea), based at Tullos in Aberdeen, and she worked at the Flotta oil terminal on Orkney for five years. She is due to go offshore shortly for the first time.

Omand, 24, said: "I really enjoy my work, and I have never experienced any sort of resentment about women working in the industry. Perhaps a bit of harmless ribbing now and again, but that's all."

She added: "My message to girls with a technical bent is that they shouldn't hesitate to apply for jobs in the oil industry. They should just go for it. The pay is really good - I am earning more than my partner and my Mum and Dad. I think I have a job for life. I believe there is a long-term future for the industry in the North Sea."

Robert Paterson, Oil and Gas UK's health, safety and employment issues director, said: its latest "offshore workforce demographics report highlights some very positive findings indeed.

"It's encouraging to see evidence of not only the youngest recorded average age of offshore workers but more and more young people under the age of 30 taking up important skilled jobs in key areas of the offshore industry."

Source: Scotland On Sunday

Location: Scotland
Related Topics: North Sea Oil & Gas

By Frank Urquhart