The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) is taking action to address a widening skills gap in key sectors such as geology, chemical engineering and petroleum engineering.

Late last month, the group launched a revised scholarship programme that will support 25 high-achieving students with their studies, with 11 of those selected studying overseas in the UK or Australia.

"The programme aims to prepare Bahrainis for skilled positions and future leadership roles to meet our technical and succession planning requirements," said Bapco chief executive Abdulkarim Al-Sayed.

He said that he hopes the company will be able to reap the benefits of the training and development award programme in future years.

Bapco is also looking to establish a stronger presence in the lubricants market with a joint venture with Finnish Neste Oil.

The two parties have together created the Bahrain Lubricant Basic Oil Lubrication Holding Company, which was approved under Bahraini law on June 17th.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development