Staff who know students’ needs are best placed to ensure technology does not lead to some students benefiting at others’ expense, said John Harwood, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council.

He said colleges should see that problems in accessing computers did not create a technological literacy gap. Technology should not been seen as a threat to lecturers, he added in a speech to the three-day annual conference of the National Information and Learning Technologies Association in Blackpool.

“One of the things that most worries me is when I meet people from the private sector who say the Internet will make you redundant. I don’t believe that because learning has to be structured. It has to involve good-quality teachers. I don’t think new technology is going to make people obsolete.

“All the things that you get from good teachers will be just as important. IT allows us to use good teachers more effectively.

“It seems to me that success in this area is going to be secured by innovation and inspiration by people facing, on a daily basis, the reality of trying to improve learning materials and to improve access.

“Success is going to come from practitioners understanding what their college can offer and what they need to do locally with their own students.”

Mr Harwood said he was encouraged that this year’s conference was the best attended in NILTA’s history.

Devices from flight simulators for pilot-training to electronic babies used in childcare courses are examples of the way technology has increased the speed and quality of learning but without removing the need for instruction, he added.

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education fears there is a danger that some students can feel isolated if they spend too much time at a computer instead of being in direct contact with teaching staff.

Less academically gifted students are at particular risk of falling behind if contact time is reduced through use of computers, it believes, although Mr Harwood says evidence from the United States supports the view that IT can increase motivation and achievement.

“Access to IT is important because it forms an important part of the skills that FE students come away with,” said a spokeswoman for lecturers’ union NATFHE. “But it must never be a substitute for face-to-face teaching. Some of the types of students which FE attracts, in particular, are going to require plenty of support if they are going to succeed on their courses.”

The conference included a visit to Backpool and the Fylde College’s outreach centres in Fleetwood and Burton’s Foods biscuit factory, which offer a mixture of mainstream courses and learndirect provision.

Education Secretary Estelle Morris has announced pound;84 million in funding over four two years for colleges to spend on developing their IT infrastructure and increasing uptake of information learning technology.

The Government wants to achieve a ratio of one accessible computers to every five students by next year.