Investment totalling some $8 million is being made by the authorities in Bahrain to train younger people to work in the oil and gas sector, a report states.

Dr Abdulhussain Mirza, oil and gas affairs minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman, said that the investment is being made to tackle a shortage of skilled workers in the region, Gulf Daily News reports.

He noted that the average age of workers in the sector has recently been estimated at 50 years, mainly as a result of skilled petroleum engineers and geologists.

"All GCC countries are looking to increase their oil and gas capacity and for this they will compete for limited talent. We need a younger generation who have the right qualifications and are more attuned to the new technologies," he reportedly said at a conference in Manama.

He added that it can take three or four years to train people for senior roles within companies, so steps are being taken to ensure that there is a supply of such professionals when they are needed.

Bahrain's Bapco recently entered into a new partnership with the Institut Francais du Petrole to drive up skills in the oil and gas industry.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development