WORKERS at a car components manufacturer are learning French after the opening of a training centre.

Mecaplast, a supplier to Nissan and Toyota, has set up a learning centre at its plant in Peterlee, County Durham.

Along with training machine operators and improving IT skills, French lessons will also be held in the centre.

The company's head office is in Monaco and the Peterlee plant exports to Europe.

Plant manager Andy Thompson is among those signed up for classes, run by receptionist and former teacher Lisa Miller.

She said: "The training will depend on their requirements.

"But there is a need for business French, to improve communications with some of our clients."

The centre is part-funded by East Durham Business Service, a partnership between Easington District Council and East Durham Development Agency. It is one of several set up in the area by lifelong learning co-ordinator Joe Armstrong.

"This is about adding to the social and economic regeneration of our communities," he said.

Plant manager Andy Thompson said: "We were already going down this route and approached Joe to ask how he could help us."

Mr Armstrong established the learning centres project after the success of a £135,000 pilot scheme at the nearby Walkers crisps factory, which has become a training facility for the community.

He also manages grants schemes available to employers for staff training and assessing the learning needs of a workforce.