MORE than a fifth of all jobs vacancies in York and North Yorkshire remain unfilled because of a lack of skilled applicants.

The shocking skills gap in 21.3 per cent of vacancies is revealed today as a result of the biggest employer survey in the region.

Now the Learning and Skills Council North Yorkshire (LSC) is calling on bosses throughout the region to work with it to address the challenge. As many as 1,113 interviews were conducted in York and North Yorkshire with employers in 27 industry sectors.

The regional data formed part of a 72,000- interview national survey commissioned last year by the LSC, the organisation with a £96 million budget for skills development in England. Answers suggest that at any one time about 47 per cent of job vacancies in the region are hard to fill - and roughly half of these cannot be filled because of skills shortages.

The details are announced hard on the heels of yesterday's report in the Evening Press on separate survey findings which point to looming skills shortages for York's growing hi-tech companies.

That survey, commissioned by the LSC North Yorkshire and Science City York, predicts that soon to come under strain will be York's vital science and technology sector, which already employs 9,000 people. But the broader regional survey suggests that the biggest skills shortages are in construction trades such as builders and plumbers.

While skills shortages remain the big issue in York and North Yorkshire, the biggest impediment to job-filling is remoteness of firms and shift work patterns.

As many as 46 per cent of businesses with hard-to-fill vacancies said the problem was that not enough applicants had the right skills for the job - closely followed by a low number of applicants generally and "not enough people interested in doing the job".

Some 27 per cent of employers in businesses with skills gaps blamed a lack of motivation among staff. A fifth of them blamed their workforce's inability to adapt to change.

But only two-fifths of the region's employers had a training plan and only one-third had a training budget. On average 59 per cent of all employees received some training.

David Harbourne, executive director of LSC North Yorkshire, called on businesses to work with him "to address this challenge".

He said: "I really hope that businesses will recognise the issues this important survey has raised and work in partnership with us to develop a strategic approach to staff training and development."

The findings would allow the LSC "to better identify those specific areas most in need of investment and continue our work with employers to develop solutions".

Meanwhile, LSC North Yorkshire is urging employers to assess their staff to see whether their skills match their firm's ambitions.

Employers who are unsure how to go about this should take advantage of a free skills analysis by a visiting expert. To arrange this, phone Business Link York and North Yorkshire at 01904 686000.

Updated: 10:42 Friday, February 13, 2004