A SALES training academy has been launched in the North-East to help combat an impending skills shortage.

The scheme aims to bring together leading industry figures, business mentors and employees to develop and enhance the skills of the region's sales professionals.

The Sales Training Academy will serve professionals, including new recruits, team members and experienced managers, working in a number of sectors from engineering, manufacturing and production, to property development, leisure and IT.

It will address the growing gap in the number of people entering sales by running a range of workshops and personal development programmes region-wide, which will be followed up with onsite coaching, mentoring and resource materials.

Programmes include sales accelerator - training for new sales professionals; sales academy - personal development for experienced sales professionals; and sales leader - leadership skills for sales managers.

The academy has been founded by Tony Weightman, managing director of management development consultancy Weight- man Associates, based in Newcastle, motivational coach Matt Hudson, of Simple nlp, based in North Shields, North Tyneside, and Steve Dougan, founder of team development consultancy TeamSmart, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Mr Weightman said: "The Sales Training Academy will tackle, head-on, the many different problems facing the sales profession and those working within it on a regional basis.

"This could include, for example, skills training and development, or even recruiting the right staff to boost turnover, and could affect every industrial sector from engineering, manufacturing and production, through to property development, leisure and IT."

For details, or to register, call 01670 737318 or visit www.the salestrainingacademy.com