A GLOBAL recruitment and personnel agency has been awarded a £2m contract that will see it take on staff for opportunities in Europe and Africa.

Wolviston Management Services, based in Stockton, will recruit up to 40 people over the next two years, working on behalf of an international oil and gas company.

Wolviston employs more than 1,150 personnel and boasts a commercial annual turnover approaching £30m.

The firm recruits permanent and temporary engineers for the majority of the chemical, petrochemical and oil and gas companies within the UK, with significant overseas contracts in Europe, Middle and Far East Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Wolviston cannot name its client for contractual reasons, but said the contract win follows a decision by the "well-known" oil and gas firm to reduce the number of recruitment agencies it uses from 200 to just five suppliers.

It will be responsible for recruiting qualified personnel of all grades in the technical engineering, project engineering, production and manufacturing, science, process engineering and research and development sectors.

Specialists will also be sought to fulfil vacancies in the firm's sub-surface division, particularly its petroleum engineering, wells and geosciences departments.

Robin Davison, the managing director of Wolviston and chairman of the Tees Valley Engineering Partnership marketing group, said: "This latest contract win shows how well respected North-East engineers are around the world. More attention should be given to the contribution that the area makes to the economy."

Partnership manager Malcolm Potter said: "The Tees Valley has a wealth of world class engineering expertise and is the perfect location for specialist engineers."