HUNDREDS of people with learning disabilities could soon benefit from more work opportunities across North Yorkshire.

A number of work experience-style schemes are already operated by the county council.

More than 120 people with learning disabilities are involved with the schemes that cover subjects such as gardening, printing, catering and fuel supplies.

About a dozen schemes exist, varying in size, and most operate from day centres or as part of day services.

But now the authority's social services executive is investigating the possible development of such work experience schemes, turning them into social enterprise projects.

Working with local businesses, these would complement the council's drive to modernise day services for people with learning disabilities.

Social enterprises are not-for-profit businesses which operate to achieve primarily social objectives - in this case to enable people with learning disabilities to earn a market rate for their work.

The council's executive member for social services, Murray Naylor, said: "If North Yorkshire social services is to achieve its aim of enabling people to live as independently as possible, these are exactly the kind of schemes that we need to develop in the county.

"We will ensure that the council continues to work in innovative ways with the organisations necessary to realise our ambition to meet people's needs in the way that best suits them."

The initiative is in line with the Government's White Paper of spring 2001, Valuing People, and there are plans for its gradual expansion.

County Care group manager Tony McIntyre said: "We want to see how we can move forward and turn work experience schemes into social enterprises which are, in effect, small businesses.

"We will start with those we have at the moment and then expand from there, hopefully enabling more schemes to evolve."

However, the first crucial step of the initiative will be to work with users, managers and carers on how to access the different streams of funding that are available.