Petrofac sells UK training business to 3t Energy

Energy training services & technology solutions provider 3t Energy Group has exchanged contracts with oilfield services provider Petrofac for the purchase of its UK training centres.

The purchase includes Petrofac’s Survival and Marine, Health and Safety, Fire, and Major Emergency Management capability and facilities in Scotland, 3t Energy said on Thursday without disclosing the value of the acquisition.

The purchase adds Marine training and further Major Emergency Management capabilities to the group.

3t Energy said it will now become a supplier to Petrofac for its in-person UK training requirements, which consolidates it as the UK’s largest provider of global energy training services.

The purchase of Petrofac’s UK training centres adds to 3t Energy’s existing training centres in the UK and complements the group’s digital learning and workforce development technology, 3t Transform.

3t Energy Group is backed by Blue Water Energy, the specialist private equity firm. The purchase by 3t Energy is the group’s fourth acquisition in three years, adding to its group of training businesses.

These include 3t Transform (Learning technology & workforce development solutions), Survivex and AIS (in-person, technology-enabled training for onshore, offshore, renewable & industrial markets), and Drilling Systems (Software based drilling simulation).

Kevin Franklin, CEO of 3t Energy Group, said: “Buying Petrofac’s UK in-person training presence was an excellent opportunity that we had to explore. It allows us to extend our customer offering and demonstrates our commitment to providing the very best training to the energy industry”.

Mark Corrigan, Chairman of 3t Energy Group, said about the deal with Petrofac: “This is a strategic acquisition for 3t Energy which will have a transformational impact on the Group. The deal expands our portfolio of services and our training now reaches most parts of the energy eco-system, including the fast-growing renewables sector”.

Corrigan also added: “As we all hope the world returns to some normality after a tumultuous 2020, we believe there will be a huge opportunity for us to grow our business further as companies and individuals focus on upskilling and core competencies to meet the challenges of the post-pandemic economy”.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Petrofac said the sale is in line with its strategy to combine industry expertise with technology to accelerate and assure competence, and support best-in-class emergency response.

Petrofac added that 104 employees will move to 3t Energy Group as part of the sale in Aberdeen and Montrose.

Commenting, Global Head of Petrofac Training Services, Patty Eid, said: “We are refocusing our North Sea offering with an emphasis on digital competency management, online learning and emergency response.

“Further afield, these skills continue to bolster our international training proposition and pursuit of in-country value, by providing our global client-base and their workforce development and nationalisation programmes, with access to the latest digital tools”.