A BUSINESS advice boss today admitted a lacklocal of opportunities had made East Lancashire workers among the least ambitious in the country.

A report, commissioned on behalf of Foundation Degrees, revealed the lack of ambition and also said that one in four workers in the North West plan to leave their jobs.

Today, Mike Murray, chairman of East Lancashire Business Link, the organisation which provides advice and training guidance to local firms, said he thought the situation was improving.

But he said: "Obviously I work with and talk with a lot of people through Business Link, but also through Guardian Angels, which deals with about 200 smaller companies and the lack of ambition was apparent.

"But I think the situation is now starting to change because there are more opportunities now and we are working on that.

"With companies it is a difficulty, because although we want people to be ambitious in terms of expanding businesses, that can mean greater risk by borrowing money.

"With individuals, a perceived lack of ambition can stop them earning more money or achieving a fulfilling job and I think people need to realise that by being more ambitious they can earn extra money and get what they want.

"Learning new skills and doing extra training can help considerably and more and more people are doing that, which is something we would encourage others to do.

"Education has also improved and children are taking more interest and doing better in maths, English and IT, which shows they are already more ambitious and that will be reflected in future workforces. "

The Foundation Degrees' survey, which polled 1,000 full-time workers across England aged between 20 and 65, found 77 per cent of respondents in the North West classed themselves as ambitious, compared to 84 per cent nationally and 88 per cent in the South East.

Almost half of the respondents also admitted they had either drifted into their current job or had settled for the position after an attempt to aim higher was unsuccessful.

One in four said their current job was nothing more than a way to pay the bills.

The purpose of the report was to look at career satisfaction across the nation and see how vocational education qualifications could help address this.

A spokesperson from Foundation Degrees said: "These statistics make it abundantly clear that a large number of employees are far from happy in their current working environment.

"For this to change, people need to take an active role in pursuing their career goals.

"Ninety-six per cent of respondents in the North West state that they would be prepared to devote two years to studying for a qualification if they thought it would help them land their dream job and we urge them to do so."