CENTRAL Scotland’s first dedicated marine and offshore international training centre has been launched at a new £3.5 million complex on the banks of the Clyde.
Clyde Training Solutions (CTS) – a new company that is part of the Clyde Group – is offering a range of onsite accredited maritime safety courses in Clydebank.
Its first phase has created around 30 jobs with more likely to follow as it grows.
The group trains around half the UK’s Merchant Navy trainee officer intake and at any one time has around 1,000 trainees in the system, managed by a team in Glasgow and Southampton.
CTS hopes to emulate that success with a range of courses aimed specifically at the offshore and oil and gas industries.
Its new centre offers multiple classrooms, a dedicated deep-water pool, a helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) module and full fire training ground, complete with training stack and helideck, all within easy reach of Glasgow Airport and the city centre.
CTS director Colin McMurray said: “I am delighted to say the first phase of operations at Clyde Training Solutions’ new purpose-built training facility has begun in earnest.
“This facility can match any of the top marine and offshore training centres in Europe, with our accredited maritime training offering now conducted by our specially selected team of experienced industry trainers.
“Soon we will also be offering courses dedicated to the offshore and oil and gas industries, at our accessible Greater Glasgow location.”
“We are working with international training standards providers, such as OPITO, in order to deliver mandatory safety training required for those working on offshore vessels and oil and gas installations.
“Clyde Training Solutions marks a new chapter in the history of the Clyde Group and a leap forward for one-stop-shop maritime and offshore training; available to delegates in the UK and further afield.”
Courses from the Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) are accredited by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Centre manager Kris McDonald said despite the oil industry’s current problems, there was always a need for safety training.
“We are well aware that the industry has been going through some difficulties, but safety is paramount in the sector and we have had people from central Scotland and further afield asking about the courses they require to work offshore,” he said.
“We are close to Glasgow Airport and we have seen people coming to from Ireland, the US and even Australia for our courses, because Scotland is still seen as something of a portal for the oil industry.”
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