The firm’s Marine Professionals Chartership Progression Training has been designed to help “fast-track” the careers of aspiring marine technicians to chartered engineers and technologists in the subsea industry, and aid the sector’s recovery from the coronavirus and oil price collapse.

The modular initiative is the first course of its kind to be recognised by both the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). Time logged on the course will count towards achieving chartership.

SeaFlo has structured the CPD recognised qualification to help expedite the process of attaining more registered professional technicians and navigate them towards chartered status. It is intended to advance the careers of existing operations technicians and upskill more engineers to marine technologists to bring to the forefront those that aspire to become industry leaders.

It is also aimed at post-graduates as well as qualified chartered engineers committed to maintaining their accreditation and keeping themselves abreast of the rapidly evolving marine technology industry opportunities within a transforming industry, with offshore wind and the blue economy. 

Charles Reith, SeaFlo managing director, said: “Chartered engineers and technologists have a vital role to play in developing the production optimisation innovations and solutions that will support the sector to recover from this downturn and continue spearheading a low carbon future. However, with projects delayed or cancelled and headcounts being reduced, some industry wisdom and experience has slipped away before it can be shared with junior personnel. Therefore, seizing the moment and taking advantage of training now is a real priority for businesses. 

“Our unique training programme, endorsed by the SUT/IMarEST partnership, is an important investment in future-proofing the sector. It has been designed as a standalone programme or to fit within existing company training schedules and provides a highly effective method for adding valuable skills and competencies. It bridges potential skills gap and ensures the chartered engineers of tomorrow are being supported at a key moment in time.”

Neil Gordon, Subsea UK CEO, added: “It’s vital that companies continue to invest in people and training. CPD courses specifically designed to facilitate and accelerate knowledge transfer in the qualification process, such as SeaFlo’s training, will prove invaluable in supporting the industry’s recovery and rise to the skills challenge.”