A SKILLS and training audit of staff facing the axe at the doomed Coloroll plant in Nelson will help experts trying to get them back into work.

Pendle Council employment staff are working at the wallpaper plant to find out what kind of services are in demand from the 300 staff whose jobs are on the line following the firm's announcement it will close at Christmas.

Tom Cohen, the council's employment initiatives officer, said: "We're seeing who is interested in taking advantage of the services on offer to get them back into training schemes or other work.

"A redundancy co-ordinator is working there almost full time. A number of training and employment organisations including Nelson and Colne College, the county council, Pendle Training Group and Every Opportunity for Women training centre have expressed an interest in wanting to help.

'Until we know what people there want and need we can't do anything. We've had an enthusiastic response to our offers from the shopfloor."

Counselling on training and re-employment will start at the beginning of next month and continue until the factory closes. Production will be switched to Hyde, Greater Manchester.

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