Brian Huddleston, driver and lecturer, and Sarah Farrow, of North Yorkshire Training and Enterprise Council, welcome customers aboard the Study Bus Picture by Giles Rocholl

All aboard the high-tec tour bus - destination: North Yorkshire computerland.

North Yorkshire Training and Enterprise Council has hired a computer-festooned single decker to bring the message to both businesses and individuals that computers can be fun, accessible and darned useful.

The "Study Bus" sets off from York on Friday for a grand tour of North Yorkshire, and wherever it stops you can hop aboard to spend a few hours with an expert trainer who will gauge your level and teach you either basics or whizzkid stuff.

En route are eight areas where it will stop, a three-day circuit which will last initially until the end of June, but could be extended.

The bus will be offering special qualifications known mysteriously as "A European Computer Driving Licence" or ECDL - an allusion to "driving" your computer knowledge to increasingly higher levels.

The course consists of seven modules, including spreadsheets, presentations, word processing and computer basics. The supervised "on-board" practise will be linked to learning in the workplace.

Businesses please note: If the bus is heading your way you can book it to ensure that it stops in your car park so that staff can benefit.

The ECDL course, which normally costs £350, is being offered free for a limited period and there are other free or low-cost courses available.

Nicky Brunker, senior marketing adviser for the North Yorkshire TEC said: "This is a great way of evangelising the need to increase computer skills and at the same time do something about it.

"If people can't go to the training, let the training come to them."

The last time a roving computer bus toured the region was last year when the North Yorkshire TEC hailed it as a great success.

"The big difference now is that we are offering a real qualification to anyone who wants to improve those computer skills," said Miss Brunker.

The "Study Bus" sets off from York on Friday March 31 bound for two-hour-long stops in Easingwold, Thirsk, Masham and Leyburn. On the following week, Thursday April 6, it travels to Grassington, Ripon and Boroughbridge. On Saturday April 8 it heads for West Burton and Hawes. And the week after that, starting Thursday April 13 it begins the circuit again at Grassington.

For further information contact TEC Directory on 01904 692777.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.