Lack of leadership at the National Training Board (NTB) has led to a delay in the opening of a $120,000 exam centre and the stalling of other key projects.

The quango?s executive officer Michael Stowe and a female member of staff have been on administrative leave for three months while a financial probe has been conducted by the Accountant General?s department.

The inquiry is believed to have been completed but the outcome is still not known. This newspaper understands that there has been no evidence of financial impropriety found.

One source ? who asked to remain anonymous ? toldthat in Mr. Stowe?s absence the NTB was in ?a very difficult state?. ?The NTB has lost its momentum and lost its way,? they said.

A second unnamed source said: ?Everything has ground to a halt. This is probably the most critical juncture in the NTB?s history and to have the entire board and its operation put into suspended animation by the Government is terrible.?

NTB chairman Herman Tucker said: ?The absence of Michael Stowe has had an impact on the NTB and it has not been a positive impact.?

The first source said that the organisation?s 2006 annual report ? which should have been tabled in the House of Assembly in the autumn ? is not yet finished.

The drafting of new legislation on national certification for technical trades has also been delayed, along with regulations governing apprenticeship training.

Another project to have stalled is production of a DVD on technical careers which should have been finished by the end of this year.

The disc was to be the second in a series of five which are for distribution among senior school students.

Agreements between the NTB ? which sponsors students on technical courses ? and six overseas institutions, which should have been completed and signed, are now overdue. And, perhaps most seriously, the Island?s new National Certification Centre, at Jamita House, Reid Street, Hamilton, which cost the Government about $120,000 to renovate and furbish and is aimed at ensuring tradesmen are properly certified, is sitting ?idle and vacant?, according to the source.

There are six members of staff working at the NTB at the moment ? but the source said none had been there for longer than five months so they had little experience.

?Some of the more critical business of the board is not being attended to at all. The annual report is now unlikely to be tabled until the later part of 2007. This is the first time that the NTB has missed a report for six years.? They added: ?The National Certification Centre should have opened by now. The NTB acquired office space which was renovated and the centre was completely furnished for the purpose of operating the National Certification programme. ?That centre at present sits idle and vacant and it cost the Government in excess of $120,000.?

Last night, the Ministry of Labour, which recently took over responsibility for the NTB from the Ministry of Education, was remaining tight-lipped about the financial investigation and the progress of NTB projects.

Permanent secretary Robert Horton, who has been dealing with the matter, was on leave and a Government spokesman said no one else was able to answer questions.understands that the probe ? and the placing of the staff members on administrative leave ? may not have been conducted following proper procedures, which could lead to a legal headache for the Government.

?There are serious issues of Government liability in the handling of this issue,? said the first source. ?They have messed it up big time. They haven?t handled it according to Government procedures and regulations. There are some significant underlying issues surrounding this whole matter such as the motivation for why it was done and what they sought to accomplish in the first place.?

The second source said: ?This investigation seems to have been running afoul of any proper protocol.

?The longer this goes on it impacts all the NTB apprentices. There is a whole lot at risk.?

The Accountant General?s inquiry is understood to have centred on financial and management practices at the NTB. Mr. Tucker said that the board was not really involved in the probe and Mr. Horton was the best person to answer questions. Mr. Stowe declined to comment yesterday.