ESSEX County Council has announced plans to sell its education services provider, with 120 employees included in the sale process.

County Hall is looking to sell Essex Education Services (EES) to a commercial operator, claiming the business needs further investment in order to grow.

The company, which provides training and support services in schools across the UK, made more than £650,000 for the council last year.

EES’s Target Tracker software, which holds a 25 per cent market share, will be included in the sale.

Ray Gooding, councillor responsible for education, said: “EES for Schools is a successful business that Essex County Council has grown from scratch.

“It started with the development of their market-leading Target Tracker software by a passionate group of education officers some 15 years ago.

“EES are already trading nationally and internationally but has so much more potential to grow.

“Following a review of the Council’s options, led by PWC, the recommendation Cabinet will be considering is an outright sale of the business.

“This would be to an investor who is willing to retain the EES HQ in Essex and who will have the right resources to grow EES to even greater levels success.”

The council says the 120 EES employees will be transferred in the sale to the buyer of the business.

Although the buyer may not come from Essex, the council said it expects to see buyers commit to a “significant presence” in the county.

Bosses from County Hall, where EES occupies some office space, would not reveal how much it expects to receive once the business is sold, or what this cash would be used for.