David Harbourne, executive director of the new Learning and Skills Council North Yorkshire urges

members of the York and North Yorkshire business community: Talk to me!

KEEP me informed. That was my message to about 60 members of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

They had invited me to a lunchtime meeting in order that I could update them on the role of the new Learning and Skills Council and I pass on the same message to you.

A vital part of the Council's job will be helping to make sure people have the skills and knowledge they and their employers need. To get this right, we must have access to accurate and up-to-date information from individuals and employers alike.

We already have the hard statistical data arising from a household survey carried out in the autumn. This has provided us with a veritable encyclopaedia of facts about the skills and qualifications of people living in York and North Yorkshire.

The next step will be an extensive survey to check out employers' views about skills shortages and learning needs. At the Chamber lunch, I begged forgiveness for inflicting yet another survey on busy employers. But I hope that anyone approached this time round will be willing to give a few minutes of their time over the phone because the results will directly influence the Council's plans and strategies for the next three years.

But we won't stop there. We will need to keep in constant touch with employers, to gather background information and ideas of all kinds.

And don't worry about giving us too much information, or the wrong information. We will soak up everything that we hear and use it to build up a full picture. For example, it is useful for us to know about market conditions - say, how the strength of the pound is affecting exports, or wage rates are suddenly rising faster than average in a particular occupation.

We also value what might be seen as anecdotal evidence. I recall an employer telling me about an engineering graduate he had taken on, whose practical skills were weak. He didn't think the information would be of much use to me, because it was - as he saw it - an isolated incident. But having heard the same thing from other employers, I see a pattern starting to emerge which merits further consideration.

The same goes for employers who tell me that some young people lack important social skills, including simple things like looking people in the eye at job interviews. Little things like this do matter, and we do want to hear about them.

We are fortunate that a group of experienced and thoughtful people have volunteered to serve as unpaid members of the local Council, including managing directors of large and small businesses and representatives of other employers in the public and voluntary sectors. Along with the staff of the Council, they will be out and about listening to your views.

So don't hold back: tell us about your hopes, your concerns and your ideas - we're ready to listen!

Please write with your suggestions to the Learning and Skills Council North Yorkshire, 7 Pioneer Business Park, Amy Johnson Way, York, YO30 4TN or telephone TEC Directory on 01904 692777