A PLAN to drive forward education and training in County Durham was launched at a conference yesterday.

The County Durham Lifelong Partnership unveiled its Local Learning Plan to an audience of educationalists at Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham City.

Keynote speaker Dr John Bridge, chairman of the regional development agency One NorthEast, welcomed the plan, saying: "Education is at the heart of everything - our enthusiasm to acquire new skills and learn more must never be diminished."

The conference, chaired by Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo, heard that the plan has attracted national attention because of the unique way it has been compiled.

Almost 100 key figures in education and training were brought together at a two-day event to develop policies to support the plan. The document sets out ways of widening participation in learning, increasing success rates and developing new skills.

Plan coordinator David Lane said: "The aim was to ensure that the plan reflected the issues at the front line, and we believe the people who know those issues best are those dealing with them every day, not consultants."

The partnership will monitor the plan, which outlines how the county can achieve local targets in education and training in the next two years.