The universities of Teesside, Staffordshire and Cumbria, along with Worcester College of Technology, have been awarded £8.3 million in funds by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to help them respond to the training needs of employers in their areas.

The awards are part of the HEFCE's employer engagement strategy, which has been developed in response to government priorities for achieving a more highly skilled workforce.

Professor David Eastwood, chief executive of HEFCE, said:

"HEFCE, through its support of universities and colleges, is on track to create more than 5,000 new places part-funded by employers for working people in 2008-9."