EARLIER this year we celebrated a fantastic evening of achievement, success and talent at the Celebration on Learning and Skills (CoLaS) Awards 2008. Now the search is on to find the stars of learning and skills for the CoLaS Awards 2009.

The awards highlight the achievements of individuals and employers who work for their own personal development or to improve the skills of others.

The challenging times we are living in make these awards even more important. By recognising success we can raise awareness of the benefits that skills can bring.

In a time of recession, it is crucial that employers develop the skills of their workforce in order for the whole region to prosper.

Employers are increasingly recognising that investing in skills development brings many benefits, including increased productivity and therefore competitiveness.

We are seeking nominations across a host of categories for our 2009 event, which will be held at the Sage, Gateshead. Once more, we are looking for the unsung heroes of learning and skills; individuals and employers who stand out from the crowd and who have gone that extra mile in order to achieve.

There are award categories for small, medium and large employers, pioneering recruitment, workforce commitment and the outstanding employer of the year.

The individual award categories are: Young Learner of the Year; Adult Learner of the Year; Skills for Work Award; Apprentice of the Year; Personal Achiever Award and the Outstanding Achiever of the Year.

For details about the awards or to submit a nomination visit lsc.gov.uk/colas09

■ Chris Roberts is North-East director of the Learning and Skills Council