The PetroSkills Member Alliance has been further strengthened with the news that Swift Energy, PTTEP and Woodside have all opted to join its oil and gas training initiative.

Created seven years ago through the merging of BP, Shell and OGCI training programmes, the alliance has swiftly grown to be seen as a global benchmark for oil and gas skills education, with some of the biggest names in the industry already on board.

Under the terms of the alliance, members are allowed to provide their own specialists to put forward their own ideas for the curriculum, which currently includes training on reservoir engineering, petrophysics, petroleum business and health, safety and the environment.

J Ford Brett, managing director of PetroSkills, explained: "PetroSkills' structured approach to learning provides a roadmap for lifelong learning and helps assure an effective workforce for companies as well as marketability for individuals."

Among the oil and gas companies these three new members will be joining as part of the alliance are Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Repsol YPF and the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Oil & Gas Directory: Training & Development