Petans

Registered charity 290458 · since 1984petans.co.uk·United Kingdom·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Petans fits best if your work trains people for first jobs or re-skilling in offshore, maritime, wind or wider energy-sector roles, or if you are an employability charity supporting people who want to enter or return to that sector.
Its annual report gave no readable grants figure and no grant range, so the size of a realistic request is unclear, and you should ask Petans before setting an amount.
Employers can apply for eligible people they offer positions to, while a registered UK charity with employability objectives should contact Petans to request the application form and become a Grant Partner.
The Transition Grant takes bookings only from 1 to 31 December, and it is awarded to the first 50 bookings that meet its criteria, so plan early.
Do not apply for individuals who are not UK residents, or for training that will not be completed at Petans, as these are excluded under the grant terms.

Overview

Petans is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 290458).

Petans is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Its primary aim is to promote and advance the theoretical and practical training and education of people engaged in the energy industry, and the public generally. It runs four programmes: the New Entrant Grant, the Experienced Worker Grant, the Grant Partner Employability Programme and the Transition Grant.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Petans uses its grants to help people train for first employment in the offshore, maritime and wind industries, and to help experienced workers in the offshore energy sector maintain or refresh their skills after redundancy or while facing redundancy. Support is tied to training courses, including courses that build transferable skills for work elsewhere in the energy sector. Employers can apply for grants for eligible people they offer positions to. Through the Grant Partner Employability Programme, UK registered charities with employability-related objectives can seek support for individuals they assist on employability programmes, including people seeking to enter or return to the energy sector. Training must be completed at Petans. More broadly, Petans aims to advance training and education for people in the energy industry and the public generally.

Themes

Energy-sector training

Geographic Focus

UK.

What they don't fund

The New Entrant Grant only:
- Financial assistance will only be applied to skilled new workers looking to enter the sector who are currently a UK resident and have a job offer or suitable trade or skill that is transferable to the Maritime, Wind or Oil and Gas Industry
- Financial assistance will only be applied to workers on a HM Forces Resettlement Programme
- Financial assistance will only be applied to workers on a Fully Employed Government Apprenticeship Scheme within the Maritime, Wind or Oil and Gas industry
- Financial assistance will only be applied to workers who are unemployed and on an Income Based Allowance
- Financial assistance will only be applied to workers who have been made redundant within the last 6 months
- Financial assistance will only be applied to workers who are on notice of redundancy
- Training must be completed at Petans
The Experienced Worker Grant only: Financial assistance will only be applied to experienced workers in the Offshore Energy Sector who have been made redundant within the last 18 months or are on notice of redundancy, and are UK residents; Training must be completed at Petans
Grant Partner Employability Programme only:
- Employability Trust Organisations can apply to become a Petans Grant Partner provided they are a Registered Charity within the UK whose charitable objective/scope is related to Employability
- Training must be completed at Petans
- Candidates must be under a Trust for support with employability, receiving Universal Credit for unemployment or low income, and have, or be working towards, a skill that supports offshore employment
- Applications for this grant can only be accepted via the Trust or Charity
Transition Grant only:
- This Grant only applies to people doing the 4.5 Day GWO Basic Safety Training Course, in its entirety, and will not be applied to any individual elements completed on their own
- Delegates must have an in date OPITO BOSIET or FOET, with evidence available regarding where this training was completed
- Delegates must be able to demonstrate that they have worked in the offshore energy sector in the previous 24 months
- Booking must be made in the period 1st December 2025 to 31st December 2026
- Course must be completed by the 31st March 2027
- Delegates must be UK residents
- The grant is awarded to the first 50 bookings received that meet the above criteria and request the grant to be applied
- Companies will be limited to 6 grant supported places
- Training must be completed at Petans

How to apply

Employers may apply across the grant programmes for eligible people they offer positions to. For the Grant Partner Employability Programme, a registered UK charity with employability-related objectives contacts Petans and requests the application form; once accepted as a partner, it can request support on behalf of an individual it supports.

Application windows:

Transition Grant: Bookings open from 1 December to 31 December.

Who can apply:

Grant Partner Employability Programme: To be a Registered Charity within the UK whose charitable objective/scope is related to Employability.

What to send:

The New Entrant Grant: A letter on company, HM Resettlement or Job Centre headed paper, including contact details for verification purposes, Full Name, Address, Date of Birth and National Insurance Number.
The Experienced Worker Grant: A letter on company or Job Centre headed paper, including notification of redundancy, appropriate contact details for verification purposes, Full Name, Address, Date of Birth and either Vantage Number or National Insurance Number.
Transition Grant: Evidence of employment in the energy sector within the last 24 months and your Vantage Number to validate that you have an in date OPITO FOET or BOSIET, including where it was completed.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

United Kingdom

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 30 September 2021	£2,472,771	£2,333,033	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2021
year to 30 September 2022	£2,504,165	£2,541,179	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2022
year to 30 September 2023	£2,589,248	£2,672,615	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2023
year to 30 September 2024	£2,464,920	£2,712,259	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2024
year to 30 September 2025	£2,277,682	£2,550,931	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2025

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.