Robert Gordon University (RGU) has put renewables and the energy transition at the heart of four of its new courses it will launch at Offshore Europe 2023.
The RGU said in its media release that the four courses are Hydrogen Energy Systems, Geothermal Energy and Applications, Offshore Wind Energy and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage.
According to the university, the four courses provide technical knowledge and skills on production, business development and the importance of energy transition and moving away from traditional energy sources. The courses can be used by new entrants to the industry or people transitioning from oil and gas.
A number of places on the 10-week online courses will be offered free of charge, funded through the Scottish Funding Council’s Energy Efficiency Fund and the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund, through the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA ). The courses carry 15 academic award credits that can be accumulated toward a degree award, the university said.
The short upgrading courses are designed to address the skills needs of businesses and individuals in Scotland, the university said. The courses are suitable for people looking for employment options and organizations that want to upgrade or retrain their employees, he noted.
The National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA), a collaborative initiative between RGU, the University of Aberdeen and NESCol, and supported by ETZ and SDS, has identified the skills gaps that will need to be addressed to achieve ambitions of Scotland towards a low carbon economy, RGU said. . The university added that hydrogen, offshore wind, CCUS and geothermal upgrade courses have been identified as having the potential to bridge gaps by tapping into the transferable skills of the oil and gas industry workforce.
In addition to the courses, the university is launching a free two-hour introductory program to provide background information to people working in energy, who are concerned about the future and asking “what does the energy transition mean for me “. ?’.
The courses are based on work carried out by RGU’s Energy Transition Institute, which the university says provides important analysis on the future of the energy sector and the role that its companies and staff must play in the energy transition.
“RGU has a strong track record of working in partnership with businesses and supporting the economy and we are delighted to be joining some of them at Offshore Europe 2023,” said Donella Beaton, Deputy Director of Economic Development at RGU. “RGU is among the leading voices on the future shape of the sector as we move towards a successful energy transition. We know this cannot be achieved in isolation, so it is vitally important that we engage with industry partners and to be at P&J Live alongside other companies operating in the sector is a fantastic opportunity.”
RGU, together with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), produced a roadmap earlier this year, entitled ‘Unleashing the potential’, which outlines how the UK can support jobs, economic growth and innovation in the future.
The wider offshore energy sector, including oil and gas operators and wind developers, could invest up to £200 billion in UK energy production and technology projects over the rest of this decade to help achieve the government’s energy targets, the RGU noted in July.
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