Gas industry in graduate job boost - graduate jobs

Nearly 6,000 new jobs may be created in Lancashire by a gas company, which could be good news for graduate job hunters.

The company - Cuadrilla Resources - have plans to drill hundreds of wells in the county to explore for shale gas, a process which has proved controversial.

Earlier this year the business stopped drilling near Blackpool, as there were fears their explorations were causing the ground to tremor.

It is estimated there are 200 trillion cubic feet of shale gas beneath Lancashire soil, meaning recovering the gas would provide around 5,600 jobs, including 1,700 roles in the Lancashire area, at the height of the production process.

A percentage of the shale gas - made from mud, silt, clay and organic matter deposits - would be used in the UK 's energy supply.

There are, however, worries from campaigners that if the plans do go ahead to recover the fossil fuel, investment may be drawn away from the UK's renewable energy industry.

Extracting the gas involves drilling wells, then using high pressure liquid to release the fuel - a method known as "fracking" - a hydraulic fracturing process.

Copyright Press Association 2011