COMPANIES in Darlington are to be given £375,000 to spend on staff training over the next three years.

Darlington Borough Council is launching an initiative called Skills for Success in the New Year to help companies develop their workforces.

A total of £375,000 from One NorthEast will be distributed in grant support to local businesses.

Companies applying for help through the project will be visited by consultants who will carry out a training needs analysis and develop a training plan.

Grants of up to 50 per cent of the total cost of training, up to a maximum of £5,000, can be paid to businesses based in Darlington that have fewer than 250 employees. The project will run until September 2006.

Councillor David Lyonette, the authority's cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: "Skills for Success offers an ideal opportunity for small to medium-sized businesses to assess their training needs for free.

"Companies can enlist specialist help to see how best to develop their workforce to help their businesses expand, become more competitive or productive and to help their employees develop as individuals."

Companies can contact project officer Lynne Groves on (01325) 362945 for details.