A Teesside-based training consortium is predicting that it could pick up millions of pounds worth of business next year following a major drive to promote its services in the Middle East.

The Teesside International Training Consortium brings together a huge range of training skills offered by six organisations within the Teesside area and offers services ranging from a free audit of training needs to programmes which can last from a single day to several years.

The Consortium's general manager Austin Orton has recently been involved in extensive trade missions in the Middle East and says that there is increasing awareness of Teesside's reputation as a centre for training excellence.

Explained Mr Orton: "We now have agents acting on behalf of the Consortium in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Syria, Ornan and Qatar - and we are also talking to several Libyan companies following a recent trade mission to Tripoli.

"Our recent successes include providing sales and marketing training courses to Qatar."

In addition, the consortium has ran train the trainer' courses for Mauritius and human relations management training for Nigeria.

"We are also hopeful of success for our bid to provide instrument engineering training for United Arab Emirates oil companies," he added.

TITC, which is now incorporated as a limited company allowing it to carry out business under its own name, works closely with the Tees Valley Development Company in promoting the area's training expertise on a worldwide basis.

The members of the Consortium are Emta Cleveland Training, the Faraday Centre Ltd, NETA Training Group, Nutec Centre for Safety, Redcar and Cleveland College and TTE Management and Technical Training