Forget Ford, Blair told

The Government must not use the Ford Motor Company's in-house staff training scheme as the model for its proposed University for Industry, a consortium of European Universities has warned.

Transnational corporations like Ford wield too much political power, according to the European Network for Integrated Materials Management, and they run training programmes which are too narrow and too vocational.

ENIMM, a non-profit making grouping of European universities, has been developing its own plans for a European Virtual Institute for Commerce and Industry for the past two years.

ENIMM became alarmed following a meeting last week between Tony Blair, the prime minister, and Sir Alex Trotman, Ford's British chairman. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that Sir Alex had offered his assistance on the Government's welfare-to-work scheme to get 250,000 young people into work or training. Plans for the University for Industry were also discussed.

"It is the principle of the Government getting into bed with transnationals that we are concerned about," said Peter Goodall, director general of ENIMM.

"Is a programme developed by companies known for the narrowness of their training the right formula to meet the objectives of the Government? It is reasonable to suppose it isn't. I don't think the things offered by the large firms are worthy contenders for the type of product we have in mind," he said.

A Ford spokesman said the criticisms were misguided. "Our scheme is non-vocational and gives people an opportunity to learn outside their working environment."

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