A NATIONAL skills academy which will help underpin the region's process industries for years to come was unveiled in London yesterday.

The National Skills Academy for the Process Industries (NSAPI) will be based at the University of Teesside and help tackle wide-ranging skills shortages in the sector.

The process industries are worth £9bn to the UK economy and this is expected to rise to £15bn over the next five years.

The sector accounts for about one quarter of the regional economy, and more than 60 per cent on Teesside, which is seen as the hub of the UK sector.

Training more skilled workers will boost growth in the sector, which employs 34,000 people in the North-East directly, and is thought to underpin another 280,000 in related industries.

NSAPI is expected to become fully operational in September.

Craig Crowther, project director of NSAPI, said: "The hub is based in the North-East and will provide national co-ordination, and several regional offshoots are designed to meet the differing requirements of each part of the country."

Companies that are already supporting the academy include SembCorp Utilities UK, Johnson Matthey, Innospec Specialty Chemicals, Banner Chemicals and Solutia UK.