Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the investment arm of the kingdom, has announced its support of a new educational programme organised by the French Embassy and the Education Ministry.

The initiative will see 14 Bahraini students, accompanied by two of their teachers, travel to France for two weeks in the summer to take part in an intensive French language course.

The programme, which runs from July 1 to 15, will take place at the Excellencia School on the outskirts of Paris.

In addition to French tuition, the students will discover the country's culture and history through visits to the surrounding area.

To support the programme, Mumtalakat will fund the travel expenses for the students and their chaperones by Gulf Air, from Bahrain to France, including their return.

"We are committed to supporting the community and improving education and skills training in Bahrain as part of Mumtalakat's corporate social responsibility programme," said Mumtalakat chief executive Mahmood Al Kooheji.

"This is an important initiative that will significantly enrich the education and cultural awareness of these students.

"Such experiences only serve to enhance the employability of candidates in the future.

"The support for this programme demonstrates our commitment to strengthen cultural relationship between Bahrain and France, which is extremely valuable to the kingdom," he said.

"The embassy and the ministry should be commended for creating this programme which supports the development of the next generation of Bahrain's skilled workforce," he added.-Reuters