A £283,000 BOOST to sharpen the skills of unemployed jobseekers in East Lancashire has been announced.

The cash, won by ELTEC from the Government, will be used for special schemes for jobless adults who need basic skills to try and find work.

The schemes, which will last between three and six months, will aim to improve confidence, motivation and basic numeracy and literacy skills and will be aimed at unemployed people, whose chances of fidning work are considered slim.

Said Education and Employment minister James Paice: "I believe many people are hampered by a lack of basic skills on which job training can be built.

"This pilot scheme is a golden opportunity for job seekers who need to boost their basic skill expertise in order to get the job training they need to enter the job market directly.

"We hope all the pre-vocational schemes will open doors for a group of would-be workers at present unable to fulfil their potential.

"And we are confident that it will be a successful launchpad for many of them."

A total of £23 million has been given to 57 training and enterprise councils around the country to run the pilot schemes, including £5.7 million allocated to 12 training and enterprise councils in the North West.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.