BUSINESSES and schools across Yorkshire could be pioneering emerging new technologies as Yorkshire Forward becomes the first regional development agency in Britain to sign a trailblazing partnership deal with Microsoft.

Collaboration between Yorkshire Forward and Microsoft will boost skills training and e-commerce across the region.

Yorkshire Forward's business development director, Susan Johnson, and managing director of Microsoft UK, Alistair Baker, have signed a memorandum of understanding at Microsoft's Reading Campus, sealing months of talks between the two organisations.

The agreement links Microsoft's five-year plan with Yorkshire Forward's digital cluster and ICT skills activities.

It will pull together expertise from across Microsoft as well as different parts of Yorkshire Forward in a team-based approach to give regional businesses the best possible access to a combination of relevant technical skills, the practical know-how to use technology in business, and the means to develop higher value supply chains.

Yorkshire is home to some of the country's fastest growing digital industries generating nearly £3 billion for the region's economy and employing nearly 80,000 people. The digital industries cluster is expected to grow by nearly two-thirds by 2012.

However, the region lags behind the rest of the country in terms of the number of people undertaking computer-related training.

Microsoft aims to focus its five-year global skills investment plan on effective and sustainable programmes by working with regional partners to collaborate across education and industry.

Ms Johnson said: "This partnership highlights the strengths of Yorkshire and Humber as an e-region, harnessing Microsoft to help boost our businesses and provision of skills training.

"Early wins from the partnership include working with the region's games developers to build their supply chain and supporting Yorkshire Forward's vendor skills programme and transforming the school curriculum through collaborative and personalised learning."

David Burrows, director of education for Microsoft, said: "Yorkshire Forward has a strong vision for skills development and its contribution to the local economy.

"We look forward to working in partnership on this pioneering project to increase technology skills both within schools and businesses across the area."

Updated: 11:12 Tuesday, October 19, 2004