efforts are being made to help close the skills gap in North Yorkshire.

More than £1.5m is being invested in the county to help train people in areas including science, creative and marketing.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is to be given £1.58m in funding by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, which aims to boost economic regeneration in the region.

The three-year package will see skills centres established across the county to train people.

Alongside science, creative and media, other possibilities include training people for the businesses being set up as a result of the success of Harrogate as a conference centre.

The executive director of the LSC North Yorkshire, David Harbourne, said: "I am delighted that Yorkshire Forward has allocated this funding.

"It will enable activities to be taken forward which complement other LSC-funded work to enhance levels of skills and access to learning across our communities.

"It is a clear recognition of what our work with partners has achieved, and I am confident that we will work together to build on these successes."

The partnership between the Learning and Skills Council and Yorkshire Forward in the Skills Development Project has already seen a number of different learning facilities open in Scarborough, Sherburn, Thirsk, Grassington, Catterick and Masham.

Others will soon be opening in Pickering and Richmond.

The project, which is expected to end in March 2005, has also seen a training venue established at Barkers Business Park at Melmerby, near Ripon.

The executive director of people at Yorkshire Forward, Don Stewart, said the project had already created 16 jobs and a further nine were on the way.

"The additional £1.58m will go a long way to ensuring that these objectives are achieved," he said.

He added: "Yorkshire Forward is also very keen to build on our successful partnership with LSC North Yorkshire."