THE first of four state-of-the-art computer skills centres has been opened by a business partnership and Orpington College at the Walnuts Shopping Centre.

The new cyberskills centres will offer low-cost or free training on how to use the internet, e-mail, CD-Rom and word processing, which the organisers hope will help local people to compete more effectively in the market place.

The new centre was opened by John Horam MP, Bromley's mayor, councillor David Crowe and deputy mayor Bill Hawthorne.

It was the latest in a string of initiatives by the Cray Valley Partnership, an alliance between Bromley and Bexley councils and the private sector set up to spend Government grants.

The cyberskills centre is to be one of four planned for the Cray Valley area as part of a regeneration scheme.

The next centre to be opened will be at the Midfield Centre, in St Paul's Cray, with two more on housing estates by the end of the year.

Cray Valley Partnership chairman Sue Polydorou said: “In today's world where IT is involved in almost every daily activity, over 80 per cent of jobs require some IT skills.

“The Cray Valley has an educational achievement below the borough's average with a particular gap in IT.”

She added: “The centres will target people who live or work in the area and offer something different.”