Since the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, the UK offshore industry has come to view training and development as paramount, the Times reports.

All offshore rig workers now have to undergo an intensive health and safety course, while helicopter crews run drills to simulate the conditions of a downed aircraft.

So too, all helicopter pilots and passengers are supplied with specialised life jackets which also include breathing apparatus to provide vital time to escape a craft should it become submerged.

Now, with these training provisions in place, experts note that the chances of surviving a ditching have risen dramatically and the UK's offshore oil and gas industry has an internationally recognised safety record.

One of the training and development providers looking to further this record is Opito, which has recently established a new academy in Aberdeen.

The company expects to establish the UK as a world leader in health and safety that will attract rig workers from across the globe.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development