HUNDREDS of Yorkshire firms have been helped by a ground-breaking £10m training and skills initiative, a report has revealed.

The study into the Learning and Skills Council’s Skills Fund by economic development experts EKOS found that the scheme had helped create 450 jobs and had boosted the regional economy by up to £34.5m.

In West Yorkshire, some £4.5m of funding helped create more than 120 jobs with 4,200 people on training schemes and 680 firms getting support.

The Skills Fund was a pilot project launched by the LSC in 2007 to provide £10m in support and access to training for employers in West and North Yorkshire and the Humber.

Training is delivered through a network of providers, colleges and government agencies.

About 1,200 Yorkshire businesses – many of which had never accessed support before – took advantage of the scheme.

About 5,000 employees enrolled on short courses and 3,000 benefited from information, advice and guidance offered by providers.

Firms reported improvements in areas including IT, health and safety, management and leadership.

In some cases, companies reported higher turnover and greater levels of stability as a result of training received.