A GROUNDBREAKING training programme is expected to help thousands of workers develop the skills they need to succeed in the high-technology engineering industry.

The Tyne and Wear Further Education Consortium has joined forces with training and development organisations, Training Development Resource (TDR) Ltd and the Automobile Sector Strategic Alliance (ASSA), to launch the Transferring Technology project.

Backed by a £50,000 grant from regional development agency One North East, the project is designed to assess how cutting-edge technology applications available within Tyne and Wear's private engineering firms might be integrated into the G6 colleges' mainstream training programmes or specialist small business-related engineering and technology courses.

A pilot scheme comprising three company-based training programmes has begun, with a review due to take place on its completion at the end of March. The three companies involved are Express Engineering in Gateshead, Argonautics of Blyth and Atmel in North Tyneside.

Project manager Darren Bentham, of TDR, said: "Changes in the industrial sector are the biggest influence on employers' need for skills training, with the introduction of new technology or new working practices being significant drivers for increasing skills needs."

Yet training to enable workforces to cope with new technologies or working practices often lagged behind. The project would remedy that.

David Cheetham, member and principal of Gateshead College said everyone would benefit from the joint approach. Colleges could use high-cost facilities, students and employees would get chances to enhance their skills, and employers could find good candidates for skilled positions