Mining giant Vale has advised natural resources companies operating in South America to invest in training and development programmes to survive the downturn.

The Washington Post has reported that numerous countries in South America have enjoyed rocketing growth as oil and other natural resources are identified and extracted.

In Brazil for example, gross domestic product more than doubled in the five years to 2007, rising to $1.3 trillion.

However, Marco Dalpozzo, Vale's global human resources director, has warned that during a downturn, a substantial commitment is needed to training and development of skilled workers to ensure that operations continue efficiently.

"The biggest companies woke up in the past years, and they all need these kind of professionals ... So the companies that want to have a sustainable future need to invest in that," he urged.

Among those to act is Petrobras, with portalenergiahoje.com noting that the company opened its first onshore training and development centre in July of this year.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development