Authorities in Alaska are working to introduce new training and development programmes that will help the state to avoid a potential workforce crunch during the construction of the North Slope gas pipeline.

While it may be many years before the project is completed, experts are putting measures in place to ensure that local workers possess the skills necessary to work on the pipeline, which will pump gas to the lower 48 states.

Rick Rios, the Anchorage School District's coordinator of career and technical education, told Anchorage Daily News there are "grave concerns" about the strength of the workforce.

Engineers are in particularly short supply, industry experts have recently warned, while training programmes are also being drawn up to address skills shortages in other support areas such as logistics.

The groundwork for the project was laid by Sarah Palin during her tenure as governor of the state, with both BP and ConocoPhillips onboard to help build and operate the 1,500-mile pipeline.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development