Scotland's crisis-hit oil and gas industry is set to receive a £24.5m boost.

A £12m fund to help former oil workers find new jobs was announced by the Scottish Government on Monday.

Scottish Enterprise is also making £12.5m available to help oil companies carry out new research and stay competitive.

During a visit to Aberdeen, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Scottish oil and gas firms are at the forefront of the industry with an expertise that has been built up over many decades but they need to continually innovate and evolve to ensure they can retain their competitiveness.

“This is particularly important during the current downturn. It is imperative that the industry remains innovative and flexible in order to be in a position to capitalise on future oil price rises.

"But we know that some firms find it difficult to access the finance required to fund research and development projects and, at a difficult time such as this, the financial and operational risks in doing so can prove extremely challenging – especially to smaller firms."

It follows the announcement of a £504m financial package for the north east by the UK and Scottish governments last week.

They each pledged £125m as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal and the Scottish Government separately promised another £254m for housing, roads and railways.

There have been widespread job losses in the North Sea oil and gas sector since the value of Brent crude fell from $110 a barrel in June 2014 to under $33 in February this year.

Industry body Oil and Gas UK estimates the number of people employed by the industry in the UK has fallen by more than 65,000 since January 2014.