An exciting new chapter for skills development in the chemicals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries was opened today with the launch of Cogent, the new Sector Skills Council (SSC) representing the five sectors. Through Cogent, employers can look forward to exercising greater influence on matters of education and skills, and to improving their business performance through workforce development. During the event, Cogent was presented with a five-year licence granted by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills Charles Clarke.

Senior representatives from all five industries, education bodies, government agencies and other stakeholders joined in the celebrations at One, Great George Street, Westminster. John Mumford, Director of BP Oil UK and Chairman of Cogent received the licence from Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Vocational Skills, in the presence of Lewis Macdonald MSP, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.

Handing over the licence, Ivan Lewis said: "Sector Skills Councils are at the heart of our skills strategy to improve our productivity. By launching Cogent today with its key role in leading the chemicals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries, we are giving employers a powerful voice in closing skills gaps in their sector. Together we can focus on our vital skills agenda to improve performance across the board.

"Cogent will work both with employers to raise the skills of the whole workforce, and with training providers, colleges and universities to ensure that their provision is relevant to employers' needs. Cogent is well positioned to rise to the challenge and help develop the skills needed to build a world-class qualified workforce in this key industrial sector."

Lewis Macdonald added: ““The energy sector is one of Scotland’s most vital, with oil and gas alone contributing around £21 billion a year to the UK economy. It provides around 23,000 direct onshore jobs in Scotland alone as well as 20,000 direct offshore jobs across the UK. If this success is to continue in the future it is critical to ensure that we continue to develop the potential of our workforce to meet the evolving demands of the industry.

“I am therefore delighted that Cogent is acting as a leader for the sector, addressing the skills and workforce development needs of the industry.”

John Mumford thanked Ivan Lewis and Lewis Macdonald on behalf of Cogent and commented: “Today is an important milestone for workplace learning in the Chemicals, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Petroleum and Polymers industries. The expansion of Cogent as a full Sector Skills Council gives us the ability to help employers provide better workplace learning and development opportunities for their staff.  These industries are a key part of the UK economy and Cogent is looking forward to working with businesses, both large and small, to grow performance through enhanced skills.”

 Concluding the ceremony, John Ramsay, Cogent’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “This new organisation, built on the knowledge and experience of Cogent trailblazer SSC, the Polymer NTO and nuclear representatives, is well equipped to work with employers and other stakeholders to address future skills needs. It is stronger, better resourced and closer to employers than the previous organisations.  I would encourage all those with an interest in the sector to work with us in developing a strategy for skills that will improve business performance.”

For further information and photography, please contact:

Jocelyne Bia – tel: 020 8395 3551; e-mail: jocelyne.bia@cogent-ssc.com

Notes to Editors:

 1 - Background to Cogent:

Cogent is an independent, employer-lead organisation built from Cogent, the trailblazer SSC for Oil and Gas Extraction, Chemicals Manufacturing and Petroleum Industries, which was established in 2002, and the Polymer NTO.  The Nuclear Industry, through the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) was also actively involved in the development of Cogent.

 Cogent is part of a network of better resourced, more influential SSCs established in 2001 to take over from National Training Organisations (NTOs). By the end of 2004, there will be around 25 SSCs in operation or in development covering all key UK industries.  SSCs, together with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) form the Skills for Business (SfB) network, the purpose of which is to bring employers centre-stage in articulating their skills needs and delivering skills-based improvements to productivity.

Cogent’s objectives:

• To improve productivity and business performance through skills development
  
• To reduce skills gaps and shortages
  
• To increase opportunities to boost skills and productivity
  
• To influence skills supply across the spectrum, including apprenticeships, higher education and national occupational starndards

2 - Biographies:

John Mumford OBE, Chair:

John Mumford has been in downstream oil with BP for 37 years, serving in Australia, the Far East, Europe and UK.  He is Vice President UK Region and chairs the board of BP Oil UK, the refining and marketing arm of BP in UK.

As well as being Chair of Cogent, John is a former President of UKPIA and is currently active on the Council.  He is on the board of the Energy Saving Trust and is on the Steering Group of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership.  He is also on the advisory boards of SEEDA and NCC and has been active on the Energy Institute (formerly IP) Council for many years. 

He received the OBE for services to the environment in 2003.  John is married with two sons.

John Ramsay, Chief Executive Officer:

John became Chief Executive of Cogent, the Trailblazer SSC for Oil and Gas Extraction, Chemicals Manufacturing and Petroleum Industries in March 2002.  He previously was Chief Executive of the Oil & Gas Extraction NTO (OPITO), one of Cogent’s founding organisation.John’s involvement with OPITO dates back to 1991, when he joined the Board as a representative of the International Association of Drilling Contractors. He became Chief Executive in 1995. He comes from a construction industry background, and has also previously worked as European Personnel Manager for a Norwegian Drilling Contractor. John becomes Chief Executive of the new SSC as it receives its licence.

The Business Proposition to establish the Sector Skills Council (SSC) representing the Oil and Gas Extraction, Nuclear, Chemicals Manufacturing, Petroleum and Polymer industries has reached a major milestone with the submission of the application documents to the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) on 13^th November.  The application documents can be viewed in the library.

The SSDA is now evaluating the submission and is consulting with other government departments and the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  The evaluation will include a due diligence audit undertaken by Panel Kerr Foster on behalf of the SSDA. The final stage in the licensing process will be a presentation to a License Assessment Panel on 13^th January.  

In the meantime, Cogent has been actively engaging with employers in the nuclear sector to introduce them to the work of the Sector Skills Council. Late in October, Cogent ran a two-day seminar on National Occupational Standards in the nuclear sector which attracted over 70 delegates from the defence, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning sectors.

A few days earlier, Cogent’s Chief Executive John Ramsay had addressed an International Conference on Nuclear Clean-Up organised by the Westlakes Research Institute near Carlisle.  The conference, attended by the Minister for Small Businesses at DTI, Rt Hon Nigel Griffiths MP, the local MP for Copeland Rt Hon Jack Cunningham and delegates from education, government, UK agencies, industry and other partners, debated the issues of skills retention and transmission and environmental issues in the nuclear decommissioning sector. “The international conference at Westlakes confirmed that skills and their contribution to improving business performance will be critical for the nuclear industry, as it faces the challenges for the future”, commented John Ramsay.  “The commitment to the development of national occupational standards coming out of the workshop is a good example of employers and others working together to address skills issues.”  

Additionally, in early December, Cogent’s Chairman, John Mumford, gave a lecture on the forthcoming Sector Skills Council at an annual dinner in London organised by the British Nuclear Energy Society, the Nuclear Industry Association and the Institution of Nuclear Engineers.  The dinner followed the Energy Choices conference held in Westminster on that day.

cogent, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the oil and gas extraction, chemicals manufacturing and petroleum industries, is preparing for a new chapter in its history with the launch in January 2004 of a new SSC joining its three sectors with the Nuclear/Radiological and Polymers Industries.

Networking effectively with employers, sharing best practice, and qualifying the workforce will help achieve our aim of improving business performance through the development of skills.

Therefore, we need highly motivated and resourceful skills development advisers to join a team:

• providing leadership to employer groups;
• creating effective employer networks;
• helping to build better businesses through tailored workforce skills programmes;
• providing an industry focal point on skills issues;
• providing advice to employers and to employees.

The successful candidate will be working with individuals at all levels, have excellent communication skills and the ability to influence a wide range of stakeholders. He/she will have at least five years experience of working in the Nuclear or Radiological Industries and have a proven track record in line management. A sound background in employee development would be a distinct advantage.

This is a great opportunity to positively influence skills levels in our industries.

A competitive salary and generous benefits are offered to the right candidate.

These positions will probably be home-based. 

Please send your current CV, including salary and benefit details to:

Human Resource Manager
Cogent SSC Limited, Minerva House, Bruntland Road,
Portlethen, Aberdeenshire AB12 4QL
or email: human.resources@cogent-ssc.com 

British Nuclear Industry Forum has changed its name to Nuclear Industry Association.

The formal launch of the newly named organisation took place on 12 June at the Annual Symposium for Members of Parliament. After 40 years as the British Forum, the new name better reflects the functions of the organisation within the changing structure of the British nuclear industry, and the increasingly international nature of its members’ work. It is also recognition that nuclear companies from all over the world are locating themselves in Britain to build upon our six decades of pioneering work and expertise and are joining the industry’s representative body.

Important developments taking place in the nuclear and wider energy fields in the UK, Europe and worldwide offer significant business opportunities to NIA members. The NIA is dedicated to assisting its members to grasp those opportunities at home and abroad, to improving awareness and understanding of nuclear issues, and to creating a favourable climate of opinion for nuclear energy among politicians, opinion formers and the public.

For further information about NIA, its membership and objectives, please visit www.niauk.org or e-mail info@niauk.org

The Cogent Plus Expression of Interest submitted to the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) at the end of March was approved by the SSDA board at their meeting on 21^st May.  In a letter to John Ramsay, Cogent’s Chief Executive, the Director of Operations at SSDA Jack Matthews commented that the Board had been “impressed by the Expression of Interest and the excellent progress made by Cogent Plus over the past year”.

The next step for Cogent Plus is to progress a Development Phase which should be finalised by end September this year. This will include completing a Market Assessment, producing a 5-Year Strategic Plan and an 18-month Business Plan. The SSDA has highlighted the following issues to be addressed during the Development Phase:

• a governance structure that demonstrate participation and influence by employers from across the enlarged sector
  
  
  
• priority given to addressing diversity issues
  
  
  
• clarification of the position of the Polymer Awarding Body and of the Polymer Industry Training Facility
  
  
  
• elaboration on how the SSC will work with devolved administrations, notably Wales, and the remit, spread and role of Cogent’s Employer Engagement Team

A Shadow Board has been established to direct the work required during the Development Phase.  Its members are all employers within the sectors represented by Cogent Plus.  They are: John Mumford (petroleum industry), Les Thomas (oil and gas extraction), Alan Hanslip (chemicals manufacturing), Ed Weeks (polymer) , Michael Cross (polymer) and Adrian Marks (nuclear).

The Expression of Interest (EoI) prepared by Cogent Plus on behalf of the sectors represented by Cogent SSC, Polymer NTO and the British Nuclear Industry Forum (BNIF) has now been submitted to the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) for consideration.

The 70-page document charts the economic and strategic significance of the sector, the changes affecting the sectors and the opportunities provided by the Cogent Plus proposal.  The three partners are encouraged by the response from employers and stakeholders to the ongoing consultation, which is also part of the submission to SSDA.

The Cogent Plus team hopes to hear initial feedback from SSDA within six to eight weeks.

Employers and stakeholders are invited to take part in a wide industry consultation to gather feedback from industry for the Cogent Plus proposal to create a new, fully licensed Sector Skills Council.  The outcome of the consultation will enable the Cogent Plus team to finalise the Expression of Interest due to be submitted to the Sector Skills Development Agency on 31st March 2003.

Consultation papers are now available from this website. Please return your Statement of Support, or any other comments, to Julie Greig, Cogent SSC Ltd, Minerva House, Bruntland Road, Portlethen, Aberdeen AB12 4QL or by fax on 01224 787830.

Please see the list of contacts on this website for any sector-specific enquiries.