Letter: Training council benefits from company links

Sir: The North Nottinghamshire Training and Enterprise Council is committed to local economic development. It is the need for a thriving economy that sets our priorities and determines our activities.

Despite your comments about the relationship between the North Nottinghamshire TEC and R. J. Budge Mining (' pounds 2bn 'swallowed' by TECs', 17 March), one of our success stories this year is the way we have been working since last autumn with the new management of Clipstone Colliery, RJB Mining, to influence recruitment decisions in favour of local unemployed people and to support the company's strong commitment to training and developing a multi-skilled, multi-disciplined workforce.

That work has resulted in 200 local people, many of whom had been out of work for nearly 12 months, getting jobs with a company that we believe now has a certain future in north Nottinghamshire and, because of its investment in training, a better chance of success.

The fact that a decision was taken subsequently, not at the same time as your article states, to invite the chief executive of the new company to join the TEC board is entirely unrelated. We need directors on TEC boards who set the kind of example RJB Mining is setting, who become investors in people, who take seriously the development of their workforce and who recruit and train local unemployed people.

Yours faithfully,

P. RICHARDS

Chief Executive

North Nottinghamshire

Training & Enterprise Council

Nottingham

17 March