BP stunted by shortage of workers

After announcing last month that BP would inject £3 billion into North Sea operations in a plan to redevelop two oilfields, the head of the company’s North Sea operations said […]

After announcing last month that BP would inject £3 billion into North Sea operations in a plan to redevelop two oilfields, the head of the company’s North Sea operations said there weren’t enough skilled workers available in the UK.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Trevor Garlick said BP would struggle to attract engineers. When asked what the biggest barrier to growth would be, he replied: “Skills – getting hold of the right people is a real issue for us. We are hiring a lot people, but we are also an exporter of a couple of hundred people to other regions [in BP]. We are centre for recruiting elsewhere.”

According to a survey conducted by Industry body Opito in March, significant growth is expected in the UK’s oil and gas sector, needing 15,000 skilled workers to sustain it.

However, more than half of the 144 companies questioned warned that attracting appropriately skilled staff is a key operational challenge.

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