I've been working in HSE in oil & gas for a number of years and have recently been made redundant. As a result I've been granted a training budget for funding for further training to help with my search for work.

I already hold the NEBOSH General & Fire certs, International safety management auditing, Senior incident investigation and a hons degree in SHE.

I have applied for close to 100 jobs so far without any success, so I am trying to spend this money very wisely and select courses which provide the greatest value for money in terms of what they can add to my skill set & enhance my CV so hopefully I can find work.

I've already paid for the NEBOSH Construction & Environmental courses and was considering doing OSHAS Lead Auditor.

Can anyone offer any advice on what are the best courses for career enhancement and that will open up further job opportunities?

Any advice would be very appreciated indeed.

Very helpful Mr. Bell

Stephen I would go for something vocational. I have just completed the W503 Noise assessment course. BOHS run a number of these occupational hygiene modules. You might think about something like that.

Have you thought about a complementary course such as Quality Management or teaching/training (PTLLS or PGCE). These would enhance your existing skills and educational background but give another facet to your employability.

If you can get a job in process safety/safety engineering at the moment I would be surprised.

There will be a lack of jobs until the oil price returns to $100+per barrel.

Hi Stephen.

Sorry I am joining this thread late. I agree with SHV that as well as H&S in oil and gas you need to reinforce your process safety credentials. This may not be a course as such but just ensuring what they ask for on the JD is what you mirror on the CV. The CV needs tweaking for each application which is time consuming but will hopefully get you through the first stage so you can then talk about your experience.

Other key area is Environmental and you say you have NEBOSH environmental but 14001 auditor may add more value than OHSAS or even 9001 QMS. 18001 is changing to 45001 at some point so don't do something that will be out of date soon.

If you have a lot of offshore try to also show onshore experience and knowledge such as COMAH. In my industry (fuel storage and logistics) that is more important than off shore experience as it is a different skill set albeit with the same principles.

You sound well qualified and if you have the experience ensure it reflects in your CV but in a clear and concise way. I find nothing worse than receiving CVs of 6 or more pages with every job listed for the last 40 years - they add little to the relevance of the person for the current role being recruited.

Get to know the right people at the recruiters using specialist H&S companies as the primary lead. Communicate with them and other H&S colleagues in the industry as so many jobs are taken in this way.

Good luck and I hope you chose a course to take.

It is the softer and more businesslike / commercial and communication skills which are needed for a H&S career now, and where your development may be better focused. Add a training /presentation qualification to your portfolio, (although beware how you go on to use this) also anything in management, budgeting, marketing, coaching or similar skills. Auditing straddles the technical with the broad-brush, as do systems and project management.

Read widely, watch TED talks, practice using software (word, excel, powerpoint) to be able to produce material which people actually want to look at. Find a way to set out your self-learned knowledge without relying on a qualification as such – so your CV can be sprinkled with words such as 'quality, environment, systems, auditing, presentation' etc.

You can’t fib about qualifications but being knowledgeable about something or having ‘awareness’ is different. My experience is that employers / agencies only ask for primary qualification proof – can’t recall any ever wanting more than Dip, more recent NEBOSH and once, PTTL, as I was going for a training job.

The CV is the key to opening the door to an interview. Work on this, as you obviously have a good background. Will your training fund cover CV help? This might be the best and quickest fix. Make sure your CV shows you in the best light. It's OK to have more than 2 pages if you have done stuff in your life, so dont be swayed by some CV guides - specialist H&S agencies can help here. I had 3 pages but constantly changed the accompanying letter (not always proper letters but the bit that says "what else?" on electronic applications. Have at least one in a Word doc ready to adapt.

Check you have variety in your career listing - if you have been in one company for 20 years split this up into each different role or promotion, reducing content as you go back. In any case, remove references to dates or your age, where possible. There is a way of doing this for your LinkedIn profile too (google). You do have a LI profile don’t you? This gives the opportunity to present yourself slightly differently, but aligned to, your CV - bit more personality. A good, professional photo essential. You will notice that your profile gets checked after each application splurge. That tells you something!

Sell yourself via CV, letter or telephone as an engaging person with a capacity to learn and quickly embed in an organisation. Good luck.