VITAL skills to help people get on in life were the focus of a day-long drop-in event in York attracting more than 300 delegates.

Experts involved in working with adults who have literacy, numeracy and language skill needs gathered for the fourth annual Skills for Life day yesterday at York Racecourse.

Staged by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Yorkshire and the Humber, the free event featured 28 exhibitors and 13 workshops.

Much of the focus was on how businesses are taking steps towards improving training to create a more highly skilled workforce.

Exhibitors also showed how parents can learn and pass on life skills to their children, and how offenders are sharing skills with fellow prisoners.

"It went really well and there was a real buzz about the place," said Shona Clarke, spokeswoman for the LSC.

She explained that the day was a networking opportunity involving national, regional and local Skills for Life organisations while also spreading the word about the latest resources available.

Advice included how to engage learners in the workplace, while demonstrations showcased current projects and materials available such as teacher training resources available for distance and face-to-face learning.

The guest speaker was Kathryn McElvanney, who has worked for BBC Radio 4, and now works for Link Up which trains people in the voluntary sector to work with adults with skills needs.

The LSC works to make young people and adults better skilled to create a competitive workforce, and is responsible for planning and funding high quality vocational education and training.

Updated: 11:13 Wednesday, March 29, 2006