Having existed since the turn of the 20th century and spanning the entire globe, the oil and gas industry is one of the largest in the world, employing millions of people across almost every country on the planet.
Subsequently the careers within the industry are remarkably diverse, covering a vast spectrum and almost every conceivable skill-set, - from IT, finance, geo-science, and engineering to logistics, administration, human resources and countless others.
The oil industry can be broadly classified into two areas – upstream and downstream. Upstream consists of the oil exploration and extraction and is focused on geo-science whilst downstream considers processing, distribution and trading and handles how oil is utilised once it has been pulled from the ground.
It is almost impossible to think of a job that is not in some way linked or utilised within the industry, especially now as more companies re-brand themselves as energy companies and reach out into new areas such as renewable power
Just focusing on the most iconic of oil images – the offshore rig, shows the depth of staff needed. A rig needs not only a technical workforce ranging from welders and mechanics, geologists, divers and well engineers, but also catering staff, cleaners, and managers. In this way everything from supply of food to the actual drilling is all part of a vital process that keeps it functioning and working to its full potential.
And again the same is true of the downstream industry – whether in administration, chemical processing, shipping or finance the scope of work is amazingly vast but all part of a much larger picture.
For those new to the industry the following pages have been created to attempt to outline a number of the jobs that can be found and which we see advertised on a regular basis. Wherever possible the job descriptions are designed to be generic and so give an indication how individuals might migrate into and out of the industry, together with the type of training they may require.
Included in the descriptions are links to other bodies and organisations that may be of assistance to those looking to start or move into oil and gas and these can be used for further information as appropriate.
Just use the navigation tree menu (on the left) to find the career or area of interest.
