Global industries such as the oil and gas industry understand the value of training and do not need to be convinced to conduct training or to train more. Lack of engagement with the formal vocational education and training (VET) sector is not necessarily a sign that these industries disdain training: the oil and gas industry spends many millions of dollars annually on training. Lack of engagement with the sector, however, may be a signal the sector might reflect on.

Workers’ attitudes are key in developing a high performance/high skill workforce. Commitment to safety, a willingness to question and to learn is attitudes required to be recruited to the oil and gas industry. They are non-negotiable. VET providers working with candidates at entry level need to understand that developing appropriate attitudes in students is as important as their acquiring specialist skill and knowledge. This adds a considerable challenge to the training task.

Competencies are more important than qualifications in the oil and gas industry because, when it comes to assigning work, competencies are the only currency. Qualifications on their own are insufficiently informative—a view shared by employees and employers.

Skilled workers are different from entry-level learners in that, on the whole, they are far more confident learners and, in this industry, thrive on challenge. In a workplace that affords them the opportunities, they effectively take charge of their own learning program; they act like the autonomous professionals they are. This is a reminder that VET produces professional workers in the true sense of the word.

There is a market for assessment and recognition of competencies. The ‘safety cases' which identifies major risks in a facility and outlines ways of avoiding them or dealing with them should they occur, is now in effect in the oil and gas industry. This means that evidence of workers’ skill and applicable knowledge must effectively meet a legal standard, which requires expert assessment of competencies. The VET ‘recognition system’ (where recognition of competence is formally granted) is more important than the traditional TAFE ‘training delivery system’ in this industry, and is in urgent need of attention.

Finally we are keen to conceptualize the workplace as a learning environment as well as the site where products/services are created. Learning environments are characterized by the tasks people are given, the resources at their disposal to complete the tasks, and the support offered. Experience suggests that it is of real benefit for employers to envisage their workplaces in terms of this learning organization and observe the quality of the learning that emerges.