British Gas to create 90 new jobs in Hampshire. (From Daily Echo)

British Gas to create 90 new jobs in Hampshire.

10:25am Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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ENERGY giant British Gas is to create 90 new jobs in Hampshire.

At least 50 new call centre staff will be recruited to its Southampton offices before the end of the year.

A further 40 full-time jobs will be created with the opening of a new “insulation depot” in Southampton designed to help customers make their homes more energy efficient.

The call centre jobs are the latest stage of a recruitment drive which has seen British Gas add 75 staff this year, taking the number in its landmark city offices to 655. By Christmas the workforce will be well over 700.

Andy Eley, general manager of the contact centre in Southampton, said: “This is a very exciting time for British Gas as we strive to offer more innovative products for our customers to make their lives easier. But we can only do this if we have the right staff.

“Ensuring that we offer a good working environment is also important and British Gas was recently voted as one of the best places to work in the UK.”

The insulation depot, the fourth of 12 being set up across the UK, will be recruiting cavity wall and loft insulation technicians and energy experts.

Wayne Smith, head of insulation at British Gas, said: “In today’s economic climate, I’m delighted to talk about the creation of 40 new jobs in Southampton. There is much talk about utilising green technologies and cutting our energy usage, but we can only do this if we have enough people with the right skills.”

Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne, who is also the Eastleigh MP, said: “Many more green jobs like these could be created as the Government pushes ahead with plans to insulate homes across the country as part of its Green Deal.

“The Green Deal will be a new and radical way of making home energy efficiency affordable to all, as well as a massive new business opportunity.”