It seems everyone is trying to cash in on the Queensland gas boom, with Bechtel warning job seekers of scam agencies promising employment with the company in exchange for cash.
A fake “employment broker” in Tasmania is offering employment at Bechtel’s Curtis Island projects in exchange for hundreds of dollars.
Job hunters have been asked to pay $200 for an initial referral and then a further $200 when they were found a position, Gladstone Observer reported.
Bechtel has warned people to be wary of anyone representing the company asking for money, stating that “Bechtel will never charge to apply”.
“Bechtel will never ask for money, credit card, or other personal financial information during the application process. Bechtel will never ask candidates to pay fees to start work or to secure visas. Bechtel does not require any purchase or payment to submit a resume or apply for a job,” the company’s website states.
The scam comes as competition for jobs on the massive LNG projects being constructed by Bechtel gets tougher, with highly specialised roles being sought by the company.
The workforce for the projects is expected to peak in mid 2014 at 10,500, however the labour pool is transitioning from civil works to the structural and mechanical phases of construction.
The company has previously stated it is on the lookout for special class welders, electricians and riggers with three years experience in construction, heavy industry or maintenance operations.
A new report by Energy Skills Queensland found the gas sector will employ more than 14,100 workers when it peaks in 2024, however the high numbers are expected to come mostly from downstream operations in the Surat and Bowen gas fields as construction work on the island starts to wane.
In response, Bechtel will this week be holding a series of sustainability workshops to help businesses which have held contracts with the company to transition post the LNG construction phase.
In conjunction with the GAPDL, the initiative aims to show how businesses in the area can diversify.
"We need to be encouraging those workers with those various skills to see if they can be applied in other areas," GAPDL chair Glenn Churchill said.
Bechtel Gladstone general manager Kevin Berg said supporting the local community was important to the company.
"The Gladstone business community has provided great support for us during the construction phase of these projects and we want to make sure they continue to be successful long after we finish building these plants."
Currently Bechtel is running three major projects, including Australian Pacific LNG, Gladstone LNG and Queensland Curtis LNG.
QCLNG is expected to be completed in 2014, while the other two should be up and running from 2015.