AN innovative approach to learning for adults and children has helped establish a successful partnership between the Tees Valley and India.

Two workers from Excell-Soft, of Mysore, India, have spent the past six months sharing their experience and expertise with colleagues at Dynamic Distance Learning, at the UK Steel Enterprise Innovation Centre, in Redcar, east Cleveland.

The company was set up by three teachers who wanted to make the maximum use of new technology to create interactive learning experiences for a range of markets, including business and education.

The result is a number of methods of learning incorporating CDs that involve school pupils in topics ranging from the Vikings to rubbish, and also help thousands of employees tackle subjects as diverse as management development and offshore engineering.

The company was started in 1999 by David Gardner, Alistair Hill and Lynne McBean, and operates from offices in Redcar, York and Newcastle.

Business development manager Ajay Kulkarni and project manager Narasimha Murthi are both spending time in the North East.

"It has been a great opportunity to work together," said Mr Kulkarni. "We have particularly enjoyed our time here and it has strengthened our common goal to design and deliver these products to a wide variety of markets."