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In February 2004, Human Capital Strategies, on behalf of the [British Columbia] BC Innovation Council, carried out a preliminary analysis of human resource requirements and issues associated with the offshore oil and gas industry. This report reviews evidence of labour market supply and demand and human resource implications in offshore oil and gas in other jurisdictions and applies this to BC in the event of future offshore oil and gas development. The occupational scope of the analysis involved all skill levels, including operators, technicians, technologists, trades, maintenance, marine, administrative, service, and management positions. It included those occupations specific to offshore oil and gas and those the sector shares with other industries. The analysis also looked at the transferability of skills between offshore oil and gas and other sectors. The extent to which labour and skills used in oil and gas development in other regions of Canada and abroad are transferable to BC offshore development is briefly considered. All levels and methods of formal education and training were examined as part of the analysis, including apprenticeship and other work-based training programs, career/technical/vocational education, high school, online learning, college, university and post-graduate education. The report suggests that if offshore oil and gas exploration and development occur, significant incremental employment growth could be generated, placing pressures on the supply of skilled labour in the future. It recommends that action be taken to analyse more specific labour demand and supply details for the industry, and that skill development programs be planned and implemented accordingly. Thirty-one recommendations within eight broad categories of activities are provided, calling for collaborative planning among government, industry, community and education stakeholders. They reflect an immediate priority for further research, analysis, labour demand and supply modelling, and human resource planning.