A move away from traditional classroom courses and towards electronic alternatives has been cited as a major factor behind the growing success of training schemes targeting offshore oil and gas industries in the North Sea.

According to the Norfolk-based training company Oilennium, the move towards e-resources is being driven largely by the demand from oil and gas production companies keen to ensure that new employees are fully trained prior to starting work on site, while students themselves are embracing 'learning on the go', made possible by lessons available to download on mobile phones and laptop computers.

"A client asked us two years ago if we could provide e-learning and at that time we said no. But then after a year of development and testing, it started to develop rapidly," the firm's founder, former oil industry professional Kevin Keable told the Eastern Daily Press.

"In the space of a year it has gone from two people to 12 people - and we need more. I could take on two or three more people and still not have enough."

Earlier this month, the managing director of the offshore operator Aquaterra called for the University of East Anglia to introduce courses aimed at enabling new graduates with skills appropriate to the North Sea energy industry.

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