Oil & gas drive the modern world. It is no accident that oil was once called 'black gold'. Yet today its importance goes beyond that of money. Oil & gas help to shape world politics and provide the raw materials for everyday life.

Portrait of an industry

Close your eyes for a moment. Think about oil and gas. What do you see? The chances are, you thought of the petrol station down the road; the North Sea in winter; the Saudi Arabian desert; the gas fire in your living room; an unwanted oil slick. If you remembered your GCSE science, you might have conjured up images of refineries - of plastics, lipstick, candles, tar and lycra. In other words, you glimpsed something you have probably never stopped to think about: the breadth of the petroleum industry, the variety of products...the diversity of its careers.