In reply to UKC Articles: This is a really good article and may i reinforce some of the comments to help those who may be interested in the offshore side of the industry ?
There needs to be an understanding that simply being a climber or caver is no longer enough, the value is added when you have a dedicated skill set such as asset integrity inspector, NDT specialist, any of the main trades (mechanical, electrical or instrumentation) etc which then allows you to carry out your trade via rope access as opposed to scaffolded structure. As noted, there is often a misconception that we have people climbing around doing menial tasks on ropes, nothing could be further from the truth.
High rates are available for those who are well qualified and have a good trade apprenticeship in any of the in-demand trades, that is where the real opportunity exists. It would be better to retrain in that area and then transfer to Rope Access later if that floats your boat, but it is very uncomfortable work and rarely if ever glamorous !
Demand is slowing currently as we see a severe dip in investment, falling oil price and failure of governement to act on taxation breaks, however we will come through this so i would encourage anyone interested to get on the training course and get your CV out to market but think out-side of pure rope access, the industry simply doesnt need that.
Aberdeen Press and Journal is a good starting point for opportunities, all the main contractor agencies will help as will the big companies run by climbers such as CAN.