BP concerned at lack of skilled engineers for North Sea

A SHORTAGE of skilled engineers is threatening to hamper efforts by BP to boost production in the North Sea, a senior executive has said.

The oil major is expected to recruit between 150 and 300 staff a year but admits that one of its biggest problems is finding the right people with the right skills. The comments come a month after BP and its partners announced plans to invest 3 billion in redeveloping two oil fields off the Shetland Islands.

The move should create hundreds of jobs but Trevor Garlick, head of the company's North Sea operations, said BP would struggle to attract enough engineers for the available roles. "Getting hold of the right people is a real issue for us. We are hiring a lot, but are also exporters of a couple of hundred people to other regions. We are a centre for recruiting elsewhere," he said.

The group's North Sea operations are seen as a training ground by the rest of the company, which snaps up workers to fill posts overseas.

According to industry body Opito, employers are expecting to create 10,000 oil and gas jobs within the next five years. However, more than half of firms warn that attracting skilled staff is a key challenge, the group's latest analysis based on 144 companies shows.