THE region could become a "glorified old people's home" in 15 years if young people continue to leave in search of better jobs, the head of a skills think-tank warned last night.

The executive director of skills campaign Aspire made the warning after a survey showed that almost 60 per cent of youngsters planned to leave the North-East to get jobs.

Deborah Carrington said the misconception among young people that the region had no serious career opportunities was a deep-seated problem and that in 15 years' time the North-East could be filled with an ageing population.

"It is an outdated view of the North-East and its economy," she said.

"Unless we begin to buck the trend now and change young people's views then we are going to have a major skills shortage and lose highly qualified workers to the rest of the country.

"The problem that employers face is that they can't recruit the right sort of people for skilled jobs.

"There are huge skills gaps in almost every sector, including science and technology, digital media, the health sector and in construction to name just a few."

Newcastle-based Wood Holmes Group carried out the research, talking to experts within the education sector and hosting focus groups with young people, parents and employers in order to build a picture of the different attitudes to education and employment in the region.

It found that 46 per cent of young people questioned did not believe the region offered good employment opportunities.

The results are being used to help drive forward the work of Aspire, a five-year campaign developed through a partnership involving the North-East Chamber of Commerce, regional development agency One NorthEast and four regional learning and skills councils.

It aims to challenge young people's attitudes to education and employment, encourage them to gain skills and qualifications and improve their aspirations.

Aspire recently launched its "nerd" (North-East Really Delivers) campaign.

For more information visit www.nerd-world.co.uk