2.3 Engagement with Society - Local Communities, Schools and Users of the Sea
Progress to date: achievements and difficulties encountered
Support for the community
Summary from 2000 UKOOA survey on financial contributions
Figure 16
Offshore oil and gas industry support for the community - £25 million per year
Relations with the fishing industry
The oil industry works closely with the fishing industry to put in place safety measures to the mutual benefit of both. Much of this work focuses on enabling fishermen to be aware of the location of sub-sea facilities and pipelines. The mechanisms include the yellow card (which assists identification of subsea obstacles) and electronic charting. A compensation fund, provided by the oil and gas industry and administered by the fishing industry, ensures that fishermen are compensated for loss of income or equipment due to snagging on sub-sea obstructions. The oil industry holds regular meetings with the representative fisheries federations of Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland to review continually potential areas of conflict between the two industries. Policies and procedures are agreed and incorporated into the UKOOA Guidelines on Fisheries Liaison.
The industry's involvement in education
UKOOA's communications team is working to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between the industry and education to raise awareness among young people of the extent to which industry is underpinned by science and technology. Educational events and material produced by the industry are intended to contribute to the development of more general scientific literacy in our schools.
Development of speakers packs
Speakers' packs have been produced by UKOOA for use by industry employees in response to ad hoc requests from schools, colleges and other community or interest groups. The material was produced under the title 'Oil and Gas for Britain' with no company branding. These materials provide coherent and consistent information easily accessible to specific audiences. There are three packages roughly corresponding to the primary age range, secondary/general interest and 16-18 science students. The material - now two years old - is being reviewed and will be made available in electronic format in 2001.
"Visions for the Future" conferences
The "Visions Programme" is part of the British Association Youth Section programme for promoting science. Visions Conferences are for sixth year students to formulate a vision for the future for particular issues and industries. The three conferences sponsored by UKOOA to date (Cardiff, Teeside, and Southampton) have attracted diverse participation, such as from Earth Watch, Southampton Port Authority and many oil companies.
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Development of a Schools Strategy
We wish to make a positive contribution to education and will adopt transparent and open principles in interacting with schools to address concerns about industrial involvement in education. All activities undertaken by UKOOA will contribute to one of the following objectives: scientific literacy and application of technology; problem solving, inquiry, testing and questioning; developing core skills.
Earth science in-service training (INSET): "Teaching the Dynamic Earth"
Chemistry, biology and physics teachers have to cover elements of earth science within the National Curriculum, but often lack support to do so. UKOOA is supporting a 2-year pilot training programme of practical demonstrations and experiments based on ideas and materials developed by the Earth Science Teachers Association. Trainers go to schools, colleges and universities, provide initial teacher training and deliver tailor-made sessions for teachers. This method of delivery is based on educational research, which has shown that maximising support for teachers in the classroom requires materials to be supplemented by coaching and practice.
The project now has its own website (http://www.earthscienceeducation.com/). Teachers' feedback to date has been very encouraging and we are considering extending the project for a further five years.
Relationship with local communities: industry contributions
During 2001, we will quantify total industry community activity by extending our survey on financial contributions to include time spent and staff numbers involved in supporting community based initiatives. We will produce case studies to demonstrate the nature and extent of community involvement.
Relationship with local communities: community dialogue
During 2001, UKOOA will survey its members on stakeholder dialogue practices, share findings and explore links between external engagement and staff development.
Working with other industries (especially other users of the sea)
We will continue to explore mutual issues with the fishing industry with whom we have established a good working relationship and investigate the benefits of extending this dialogue to other marine industries.
Relations with fishing industry: Fishsafe
Fishsafe is a computer based early warning system developed by UKOOA for the fishing industry to warn of the presence of underwater equipment and pipelines. We are supplying this high-tech device, aimed at enhancing safety at sea by warning fishing boats of these obstacles.
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Striking a Balance Index
