The Malaysian government will use revenue from the oil and gas industry to channel investment into training and development and the improvement of infrastructure as part of its fiscal stimulus package, Bernama has reported.

According to the national news agency, takings from oil industry subsidies are expected to be in the region of RM7 billion (£1.3 billion) for 2009, with the country set to plough this money back into training and development, construction, residential building, transport, investment and information technology.

Deputy prime minister and the new finance minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that the such measures have been made necessary by the global economic turmoil, explaining: "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."

Meanwhile, Malaysian prime minister Yab Dato' Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi warned earlier this month that the country must learn the lessons of the 1990s if it is to prevent a skills exodus from the oil and gas industry.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development