Training schedule 2024 is available for download here.

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Key instructors

Gordon Boterrill

HND Mechanical Engineering, Borough Polytechnic; BSc (Hons) Oil Technology, Imperial College, London. Modules Wells and Processing and Pipelines

Gordon has a background in the oil industry including oil terminal construction, pipeline engineering, drilling engineering and drilling operations management in both frontier and mature areas, on and offshore. Much of his career was spent working for BP on and offshore in the Middle East, Far East, Australia and the UK. His 40 years experience includes managing semi-submersible rigs; using helicopters, jack-up rigs and drill-ships; killing internal blowouts in old abandoned wells. Since 1991 he has worked as an independent drilling consultant on exploration and development operations in Angola, Bahrain, Norway, Romania and the Yemen. He has been associated with the energy programme at RGU since 2000 with particular interests in Subsea Engineering, Drilling Operations Management, Business Economics and Offshore Pipeline Construction.

Paul Spurr

BSc Hons Physics Module Facilities

Paul Spurr is an external consultant for RGU. Prior to joining RGU, Paul was a Petroleum Engineer of 30 years experience with BP. He started his career at what was then the world renowned BP Research Centre at Sunbury-on-Thames. He did research on the rheology of fluids, reservoir core analysis and Enhanced Oil Recovery [EOR/IOR].He then converted to be a PE, working for most of his time on the North Sea Oilfields, originally performing reservoir surveillance work on the new Magnus field. Following this he moved onshore to work on wells at the Wytch Farm oilfield in England. Here he ran open hole & cased hole logging, well service work and what was then cutting edge TCP perforating. There followed a move back to the North Sea, this time as a Production Engineer. Here Paul pioneered the use of hydrocyclones for produced water clean-up on Forties and updated the hydrocarbon accounting process. He then moved to work on the novel Harding field, BP's first venture into heavy oil in the North Sea. Paul ran the production team and was in charge of tanker scheduling & loading, process engineering, production chemistry, the offshore lab & hydrocarbon accounting. He was also the point of contact for liaison with the DTI [BERR] on various consents. Paul had a sojourn to be a global auditor for 18 months. Here he investigated a wide range of issues including safety, security, reserves bookings, project economics & management, & provisioning for decommissioning. Finally, at what was to be his last placement with BP, Paul returned to Wytch Farm. This time he was Project Manager for developing a new oilfield in the sensitive south of England, reinstating seawater injection to an old oilfield and assessing that field for BP's LoSal TM EOR technique. Paul holds a First Class Honours Degree in Physics and this subject is still his passion.

Bassam Bjeirmi

BSc(Hons), MBA, PhD Module Business Essentials

Bassam has an extensive experience in the development and delivery of training programs for the private and public sectors. His main subject area is construction and generic project management where he has delivered training programs in the UK and overseas for companies including Shell, Sonatrach, and ADNOC in Nigeria, Algeria and the Arabian Gulf respectively. Over the years he has provided consultancy to a number of public and private organizations on project implementation, monitoring, and control. Other areas included the capture of knowledge, its dissemination and its effect on organizational learning. His current research interests include: Role of Project management in knowledge creation and learning; Client operational style and its effect on the contractor’s ability to innovate; Leaders and learning within organizations; Project management competencies for the energy sector. Before becoming the associate head of School, Bassam had comprehensive tertiary level education experience in the role of tutor, module leader, as well as a researcher. He has considerable experience in supervising research projects both at postgraduate and PhD level and as a referee for a number of industry journals. Main Teaching areas: Project Management (including project administration, planning & control, leadership and organisational development), Management for the built environment. Standard Forms of Construction Contracts and Construction Procurement