Bahrain's energy companies spend more than $25 million every year in training their employees, said a senior government official, adding that the training is conducted in order to prepare staff for the challenges of the future.

"The people we train today are going to run the Bahrain of tomorrow," Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza said on the sidelines of the opening of an exhibition running along with Petrotech 2012, the eighth Middle East Refining and Petrochemicals Conference, at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

"The companies, under the National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga), are guided by the aspirations and goals of the Economic Vision 2030, which considers the development of the citizens of Bahrain as one of the pillars upon which the success of the programme rests," he said.

He added that with the training, the staff will be enabled to attain the skills necessary to run the Bahraini economy of tomorrow.

"One of the recurring themes in nearly every conference of this nature entails the near-crisis situation facing our industry and that is the shortage of skilled technical manpower," the minister said.

"We recognise that attracting, developing, and retaining highly-talented employees is critical to our future success.

"In this context, the current shortage of skilled manpower is a cause for greater concern compared to the rising cost of materials," he added.

He said Noga is in the process of streamlining the Bahrain oil industry's human resources strategies and has prepared a comprehensive succession plan for all its oil and gas and petrochemical companies.

Earlier, Dr Mirza went around the exhibition along with Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla al Khalifa, who opened the show, which is being held under the patronage of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

More than 1,500 downstream oil and gas professionals are taking part in the event, which concludes tomorrow.

Petrotech 2012 is being held on the theme, 'Creating Value: Technology, Investment and People,' which focuses on current challenges facing the downstream hydrocarbon industry, with emphasis on future technology and opportunities.

More than 90 cutting-edge technical and poster presentations, and three executive guest speaker sessions will be held during the event and share successful case studies and innovative solutions for common challenges allied to refining and petrochemical technologies, plants of the future and human resources.

Regional giants including Bapco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Borouge, Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, PetroRabigh, Sadara Chemical Company, Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company, Industrialisation and Energy Services Company and Tasnee have taken flagship stands at the exhibition.

International service industry majors have also maintained a strong presence at the event, with Baker Hughes, Dow, Foster Wheeler, UOP and Yokogawa occupying significant exhibition space.

A host of specialist companies consolidate this line-up.

Since its inauguration in 1996, the Middle East Petrotech series has established itself as a key industry forum for these highly significant sectors of the region's economy.

In 2010, a total of 3,150 conference delegates and trade visitors attended the event. – TradeArabia News Service