thousands of budding engineers and businesspeople are being helped to get jobs in industry by a training centre that has now been officially launched in Worcester.

The Worcestershire Group Training Association's centre of vocational excellence for engineering design, manufacture and maintenance has been open for the past year.

But it is only now that the association has found the time to invite local employers and the Mayor of Worcester for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Alan Curless, executive director at the local Learning And Skills Council, did the honours in his last official function before retirement.

As a result of support from the LSC and Advantage West Midlands, plus a partnership with Worcester College of Technology, 10,000 sq feet of training workshops and lecture rooms are buzzing with enthusiastic young people in Sunnyside Road.

The initiative is financed and controlled by local companies, which decide how they want their training to be run for maximum benefit to their businesses and employees.

Engineering apprentices are working in the workshops on the ground floor and commerce apprentices are attending day release from their work placements in city companies at the business training centre on the first floor.

Philip Round, chief executive of the training association, said: "The focus of the centre is to increase training provision and qualifications in areas of engineering where there is a skills shortage.

"This will be achieved by working with employers and through modern training."

The centre has been named one of the best apprenticeships providers in the country.

Employers or young people who want to know more about funding available to employ an apprentice should contact 01905 330720 for engineering or 01905 330721 for commerce.