UK-based consulting and engineering company Wood has announced that it is investing in the growth and development of its national workforce in Iraq, with plans to recruit more than 200 new employees to support new contracts.

As part of this the company will welcome 25 new graduates reinforcing its ongoing commitment to develop local engineering talent.

It will employ more than 500 Iraqi nationals delivering engineering solutions for complex energy projects including critical decarbonisation projects.

Following recently awarded contracts to deliver engineering for major energy projects, Wood is increasing its workforce in Basrah by 60 percent across engineering, operations, maintenance, procurement, logistics and IT. By investing in training, competency and skills development, Wood says it is building a highly skilled team of local experts to support clients in-region deliver energy security.

Shaun Dewar, Senior Vice President for Operations in the region at Wood said:
"The Middle East is a strategically important market for Wood and investing in Iraq and its people is core to this. Our recent contract awards and increased scopes on existing projects are creating opportunities to grow our teams in Basrah and Dubai as we work with clients to ensure energy security and support opportunities for a more sustainable energy future too."

Wood provides training, competency, and skills programmes to all Iraqi nationals, investing in employee development and progression. Technical, safety, supervisory and leadership training courses, as well as continuous on-the-job training, coaching, and mentoring, aid and support nationals to undertake further responsibilities.

One of Wood's flagship development programmes, the Basrah Graduate Scheme has been in place since 2016. Since then, over 60 graduates from the University of Basrah have joined the four-year multi-discipline engineering programme. The structured programme provides both on-the-job and classroom-based training, as well as opportunities to work on complex energy projects across the Middle East.

Wood's projects in Iraq are delivered by the team in Basrah and supported by the company's engineering hub in Dubai.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Wood