Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund 2025-2026: equalities impact assessment

Key Findings

Below is a summary of the EQIA results.

Age – There is evidence that Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire’s oil and gas sector has an ageing workforce profile. This reflects national demographics^[1]. Robert Gordon University (RGU) also notes that “75% of all managers and team leaders in the UKCS (UK Continental Shelf) are over 40 years of age, and around 40% are over the age of 50”. This leads RGU to conclude that there is a need to upskill staff into leadership roles^[2].

Stakeholders also noted that both younger and older workforce groups can face discrimination. In relation to older workers, some studies support this feedback, showing that younger workers are more likely to secure an interview^[3]. These outcomes worsen with age and intersectional considerations such as race and sex^[4].

Finally, stakeholders also noted that there are lower levels of digital literacy amongst older workforce groups, ONS data would support this^[5]. This may impact individuals’ ability to engage with digital materials related to the fund – such as application portals or promotional materials.

Disability – There is very little evidence related to the disability profile of the existing oil and gas workforce. However, there is a significant employment rate gap between disabled and non-disabled people aged 16 to 64 across Scotland more widely^[6]. It is therefore important that the fund considers accessibility for potential disabled candidates.

Sex – Men make up most of Scotland’s oil and gas workforce and may be disproportionately affected by redundancy as a result. RGU note that as of 2019, approximately 75% of the UKCS workforce was male^[7].

There is also some evidence to suggest that women in general face additional challenges that may impact their ability to engage as fully in the labour market in comparison to men. This includes elements such as unpaid domestic labour and caring responsibilities^[8].

There is also evidence to suggest that there are gender diversity challenges present within emerging energy sectors^[9]. Reports representing offshore wind, CCUS and hydrogen are clear that more needs to be done to widen the talent pool to women and other more diverse workforce groups to fill expected workforce shortages^[10].

Pregnancy and maternity – Feedback from stakeholders noted that the fund should be inclusive to oil and gas workers that may have taken an extended career break to fulfil caring responsibilities – including women who may have taken time out of work to care for children.

Whilst there is no evidence related to the percentage of eligible candidates that may be on maternity/paternity leave, the fund design will consider whether such leave may impact on individuals’ ability to access the fund.

Race – There is some evidence to suggest that both existing and emerging energy sectors face race diversity challenges^[11]. However, there is also some evidence to suggest that the make-up of the existing workforces may not differ significantly from the regional demographics of the North East^[12].