Oil and Gas

A career in the UK’s oil and gas industry in 2025 offers Armed Forces service leavers a dynamic and evolving opportunity. While the sector has historically been associated with offshore drilling and remote installations, it has expanded to encompass a wide array of cutting-edge fields. From digital transformation and carbon capture to renewable integration and clean energy innovation, today’s oil and gas industry is as much about the future as it is about fuelling the present.

The energy transition is reshaping the landscape. The shift from Oil & Gas UK to Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) signals not just a name change but a fundamental redirection—one that embraces oil, gas, hydrogen, offshore wind, and carbon storage in an integrated energy mix. For service leavers, this new direction presents expanded career paths while still leveraging their unique blend of leadership, technical competence, and resilience developed during military service.

What’s involved?

The UK oil and gas sector remains an important part of the wider energy economy, supporting around 180,000 jobs and continuing to contribute to domestic energy security. In 2024, UK gas supply came roughly from 43% domestic production, 43% Norwegian pipeline imports and 14% LNG imports.

While offshore platforms, rigs and subsea work are the most visible parts of the industry, many roles are based onshore in engineering, logistics, terminals, planning, supply chain management, operations support and project delivery. This means service leavers do not need to see the sector only as offshore work; many jobs are land-based or combine onshore and offshore environments.

The North Sea remains central, but the sector is changing. The government’s North Sea Future Plan links existing oil and gas production with growth in offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and decommissioning. The North Sea Transition Authority now also has a role in offshore hydrogen and carbon storage, reflecting the move towards a broader low-carbon offshore energy system.

For service leavers, the sector offers opportunities in engineering, maintenance, safety, logistics, project management, digital systems, environmental performance and decommissioning. The Energy Skills Passport, backed by government, OEUK and RenewableUK, is designed to help workers move between oil and gas, offshore wind and other energy roles. Research suggests around 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs.

Working onshore

Many oil and gas jobs are based onshore rather than offshore. The sector supports work at terminals, industrial hubs, offices and supply-chain centres in places such as Scotland, Teesside, East Anglia and the North West. For service leavers, that can mean more conventional working patterns and a wider choice of roles than the industry’s offshore image might suggest. OEUK says domestic production supports employment both offshore and onshore across these regional hubs.

Onshore roles include engineering, project delivery, logistics, operations support, compliance, HSE, maintenance, digital systems and environmental work. The sector is also changing as oil and gas infrastructure links more closely with carbon capture, hydrogen and other offshore energy projects. The government’s North Sea plan says the UK wants to support growth in offshore wind, CCUS and hydrogen while enabling existing infrastructure and supply chains to take advantage of those opportunities.

Digital skills are becoming more important too. The NSTA says digital technologies, cloud data management, advanced analytics and machine learning are now playing an increasingly strong role in operators’ plans, helping improve operations and decision-making. That creates opportunities for people with experience in systems, networks, data and technical problem-solving.

Working offshore

Offshore work is still a key part of the sector, even though many roles sit onshore. Jobs offshore include production, maintenance, inspections, safety, engineering and emergency response, often in demanding environments where reliability and teamwork matter. For service leavers, that can make offshore work a natural fit, especially for those used to structured routines, technical systems and high-pressure situations. OEUK says the industry supports jobs across the offshore energy mix, while the Energy Skills Passport is designed to help workers move between oil and gas and other offshore sectors.

Technology is changing offshore work, but not replacing the need for skilled people. The NSTA says remote operations, digital tools, machine learning, and remote or robotic access are being used more widely to improve safety, reduce offshore manning and reach hard-to-access areas. At the same time, offshore teams are under growing pressure to cut emissions, with the NSTA pushing electrification and the reduction of unnecessary flaring and venting.

Evolving Roles

The traditional boundaries between roles in oil and gas are becoming less fixed. As the sector brings together emissions reduction, digital technology and wider offshore energy activity, more jobs now sit across several disciplines rather than in one narrow specialism. OEUK’s workforce and skills work increasingly talks about an integrated energy workforce, while the NSTA highlights the growing role of digital technologies, advanced analytics and machine learning in offshore operations.

For service leavers, that is good news. People with experience in systems integration, operations, safety, leadership and working across multiple teams can be well suited to roles that combine technical delivery with project, environmental or digital responsibilities. New opportunities are emerging in areas such as decarbonisation, emissions reduction, remote operations, data-led maintenance, carbon storage and hydrogen, often within the same companies that have traditionally focused on oil and gas. The NSTA says its remit now covers offshore hydrogen and carbon storage as well as oil and gas, and its net-zero work highlights technologies aimed at cutting platform emissions, flaring and venting.

This also means career paths are becoming more transferable across the wider energy mix. The Energy Skills Passport is designed to help people move between oil, gas and renewable energy roles more easily, and government-backed skills policy now explicitly supports transition pathways for offshore workers, including veterans.

Skill up while serving

Military service builds many of the skills the oil and gas sector still values most: leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, safety awareness and the ability to perform under pressure. Those strengths transfer well into operations, logistics, project work, supervision and compliance roles, both onshore and offshore. Service leavers with technical backgrounds in engineering, mechanical systems, electrical systems, communications or maintenance can be especially well placed. The Energy Skills Passport is designed to help workers show how their experience can transfer across oil, gas and wider energy roles.

The key is to match your military experience to civilian job requirements and add any sector-specific training where needed. For offshore roles, that may include OPITO safety training such as BOSIET for people new to offshore work, while eligible service leavers may be able to use ELC funding for approved qualifications at Level 3 or above through approved learning providers.

Employment prospects for Service leavers

Employment prospects remain strong for service leavers with relevant skills. OEUK says the UK offshore energy sector supports around 180,000 to 200,000 jobs, while the industry is increasingly spread across oil and gas, offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture. That wider energy mix is creating more routes in for people with backgrounds in engineering, operations, logistics, HSE and project delivery.

Service leavers can also access dedicated support through the Career Transition Partnership and the Forces Employment Charity, which offer careers guidance, CV help, training advice, job-search support and access to ex-military job opportunities.

Divers

Diving remains a specialist part of offshore energy work, supporting subsea inspection, maintenance, construction and repair where human intervention is still needed. In UK waters, commercial diving is tightly regulated: HSE says anyone who wants to work as a professional diver must hold an approved diving qualification, and divers working under the Diving at Work Regulations must complete annual medicals with an HSE Approved Medical Examiner of Divers.

For service leavers, military diving, underwater engineering and EOD experience can still transfer well, but a civilian route is required. Offshore entrants may also need OPITO offshore safety training such as BOSIET for personnel new or returning to the offshore oil and gas industry. Alongside diver roles, there are related opportunities in life support technician, diving supervisor and ROV work. IMCA says its certification programmes cover safety-critical offshore diving positions including diving supervisor and life support technician, while it also provides approved training and competence tools for Remote Systems and ROV roles.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INDUSTRY

Entry requirements vary widely across the oil and gas and wider offshore energy sector, depending on whether the role is offshore, onshore, technical or support-based. There is no single set of qualifications for the whole industry. In general, employers look for the right mix of technical ability, safety awareness, relevant experience and, for some jobs, role-specific certification.

For many offshore roles, OPITO-approved BOSIET is still the key entry-level safety course. OPITO says BOSIET covers offshore induction, helicopter emergency response, sea survival, first aid and basic firefighting, and that learners must meet medical entry requirements before taking part in practical exercises. Depending on the person and the course provider, that may mean holding a valid offshore medical certificate, an accepted equivalent, or completing medical screening through the training centre. BOSIET certificates are then followed by FOET refresher training at intervals of up to four years.

Technical and craft roles usually require trade or engineering qualifications relevant to the job, while apprenticeships remain an important route into the sector. The former OGTAP scheme is now the APTUS apprenticeship programme, run by OPITO and ECITB, with pathways in electrical maintenance, instrument and control maintenance, mechanical maintenance and process operations. OPITO says the programme now includes broader energy content, including hydrogen, CCUS and offshore wind, reflecting the sector’s shift towards a wider energy mix.

For service leavers, ELC funding can still help, but only for courses that meet the scheme rules. ELCAS says funding is only available for courses with an approved provider that lead to a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above on the relevant framework, and claims must be made through the approved ELCAS process.

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Get Qualified

For offshore roles, safety training is essential. The main entry-level course is OPITO BOSIET, which covers offshore hazards, emergency response, helicopter safety, sea survival, first aid and basic firefighting. Many offshore workers are also expected to complete OPITO MIST, which introduces the core safety elements of the industry, including major accident hazards, workplace hazards, risk management, control of work and helicopter safety.

Beyond that, workers may need job-specific competence in areas such as permit to work, lifting operations, manual handling, hazardous substances and work at height, depending on the role. HSE guidance continues to stress that lifting operations must be properly planned and supervised, and that work at height and hazardous tasks must be risk assessed and controlled.

THE VANTAGE ADVANTAGE

To find out more about LOGIC’s VantagePOB system click here

Passing an OPITO-approved Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) course is a minimum requirement to work offshore. It consists of four modules:

1. Safety Induction
2. Helicopter Safety and Escape (HUET)
3. Sea Survival and First Aid
4. Fire Fighting and Self Rescue.

BOSIET is required for cold-water areas and includes additional training in the use of survival suits and emergency breathing systems during the HUET module. The course is OPITO accredited and successful completion results in an internationally recognised certification. 

Those with degrees in geology, chemistry, engineering and logistics, and experience in project management, are highly sought after. AS-levels or equivalent are required to enter as a technician, while GCSEs or equivalent will give you a start at craft level. According to Cogent Skills (the UK’s strategic body for skills in the science industries, led by sector employers), there is a significant under-supply of people qualified at S/NVQ levels 2 and 3, so you might want to think about using your ELC to secure relevant qualifications at level 3 (or above, of course). As occupations that employ people qualified at this level account for well over half of the oil and gas industry, this is a significant shortfall – and one that the industry is aiming to address. There are a large number of relevant S/NVQs to be gained, in subjects including:

• bulk liquid warehousing
• chemical, pharmaceutical and petro-chemical operations 
• forecourt operations
• measurement processes (maintenance)
• measurement processes (proving, prover)
• nuclear decommissioning
• offshore deck operations 
• offshore drilling operations
• process engineering maintenance 
• processing operations: hydrocarbons
• refinery control room operations 
• refinery field operations.

Cogent Skills continues to work with the industry to develop standards, qualifications and training. Energy & Utility Skills (the UK authority on skills and workforce development in the energy and utilities industries) is also developing occupational standards and qualifications for those involved in mains laying and service laying.

OIL AND GAS APPRENTICESHIPS
The Oil and Gas Technical Apprentice Programme (OGTAP) is offered in four key disciplines: electrical maintenance, mechanical maintenance, process operations, and instrumentation and control maintenance. It is managed by OPITO along with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, ECITB (apprentices will be part of the programme under either OPITO or ECITB). Although applications have closed for 2022, details of how to apply for the 2023 intake will be posted in early 2023, so keep an eye on this page for the latest info: www.ogtap.co.uk.

Use your ELC

Under the ELC scheme, a wide range of learning can be taken, provided it is offered by an approved provider listed on the ELC website and is at level 3 or above. For full details of how to make the most of your ELC, refer to the in-depth features elsewhere on this website.

AN ONLINE INTRODUCTION TO THE INDUSTRY

OPITO’s Introduction to the Oil and Gas Industry e-learning course is designed to support the induction of newcomers to the industry, giving those looking to work in technical and commercial roles the opportunity to explore the world of oil and gas in an interactive and stimulating environment.

The programme gives an overall picture of industry-specific functionality, together with an appreciation of the challenges involved in the production of hydrocarbons and an understanding of the different job roles involved.

The course, which takes between two and four hours to complete, is designed to offer an opportunity to explore the oil and gas industry in its entirety, from the formation of hydrocarbons to the decommissioning of installations.

Entry requires no academic qualifications, skills or experience. To find out more, click here.

Finding employment

Service leavers can find energy-sector vacancies through both specialist job boards and mainstream recruitment channels. Current specialist platforms include Energy Jobline, Rigzone and Energy JobSearch, while employers also recruit directly through their own careers pages and through major engineering and technical recruiters. (energyjobline.com) (rigzone.com) (energyjobsearch.com)

The strongest candidates are usually those who can match their military experience to current sector needs, especially in engineering, operations, logistics, HSE, digital systems and project delivery. OEUK says the sector supports around 180,000 jobs across offshore operations, supply chains and regional economies, so there is still a substantial employment base for people with relevant skills.