The oil and gas industry operating in the North Sea requires a highly skilled workforce as the fields mature and extraction becomes more complex, the chief executive of Opito David Doig has warned.

Speaking at the opening of the new £1.5 million Oil and Gas Academy, he warned that despite the economic downturn and plummeting crude prices, it is important that firms maintain their commitment to high level training to ensure future profitability.

"As a mature basin, the UK continental shelf is facing immense technological challenges and the need for operational and capital efficiency to maximise resource recovery [...] has never been greater," he said.

He added that to reduce training and development budgets now would push the oil and gas industry back 18 months and into a situation where a severe skills shortage was inhibiting the growth of the sector.

In a bid to stimulate growth of the oil and gas training sector, Opito also supports the north-east pilot for the Scottish Council for Development and Industry's Young Engineers and Science Clubs.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development