A TRAINING package has been prepared by a Yorkshire IT organisation to combat a skills shortage.

Taitec's Harrogate centre drew up its strategy in response to research, which suggested a European computer skills shortage of 1.7million jobs by 2005.

Centre manager Phil Cartwright said: "This is a staggering statistic and is bound to have an impact on this area and its economy.

"However, we should treat these findings as an early warning and react to them in a positive way by trying to get as many people as possible trained up to fill the void."

Taitec has put together a package to help people train or re-train for an IT career, including identifying grants and loans towards training costs.

Further details are available on (01423) 526700 or online at www.taitec.co.uk