The boss of online training firm Oilennium has said he aims to increase sales by 50pc this year after launching new courses for individuals.

Loddon-based Oilennium was established in 2000, offering web-based training courses for offshore workers in the oil and gas sector.

While the company has previously focused on bespoke courses for oil and gas firms across the world, it has now expanded its modules in its learning management system to offer training courses for individuals, aiming to help fill skills shortages across the industry.

Users are able to access and complete training anywhere with an internet connection, monitor progress and take exams, in areas including essential knowledge, health and safety and technical courses.

Founder and managing director Kevin Keable said the courses aimed to stimulate learners with their 'mini documentary' style, featuring video and graphics.

And he said he hoped the individual courses would spur further rapid growth at the company, which featured in the EDP's Future50 publications in 2009 and 2010, which recognises businesses with major growth potential.

Mr Keable said: 'The reason we have done this is the industry is crying out for more training.

'In what is known as the 'big crew change' a lot of experienced people will be retiring from the industry over the next 10 years, and although there are a lot of new recruits there is going to be a big lack of knowledge.

'The impact for us is people are able to access courses fairly cheaply from anywhere in the world.'

He added: 'I think this is going to be a big growth area. Once people start to see what we have done a lot more will sign up.

'It could have a huge impact globally.'

The company employs about 25, which has more than doubled in the past couple of years, with turnover at �1.2m last year.

Mr Keable said: 'We are hoping to add another 50pc to our sales this year, and offering courses in this way will play a key part in achieving that. I really hope it will take off.'

He said the company was continually looking to recruit 'visual thinkers' able to put information into animation and images, adding: 'Our constraints are more about getting the resources. Getting the work is reasonably easy.'

Since 2004, Oilennium has run classroom training sessions to more than 700 people and e-learning courses are available to 60,000 people across the globe in 17 languages.

Its clients include Weatherford International, Perenco and Halliburton.