THE EU's new Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action Programmes were launched on January 1, 2007.

These will make around £50m available each year to learners and young people in the UK. I am incredibly enthusiastic about these programmes, which offer people of all ages exciting opportunities to gain new skills and international experience.

I know for a fact that the programmes change lives: I have spoken with participants and have seen the formal evaluations. To take one of the six programmes as an example, some 85,126 people from across the North-west have benefited from funding alone since 2001.

We live in a global community and by enabling participants to study, volunteer or work in another European country, the programmes can help people to be more ambitious about their futures and to find their place in the world.

The programmes offer opportunities to people of all education levels; nursery school children, adults needing to improve their basic skills, university students, apprentices, unemployed people - everyone can benefit.

The programmes also offer funding for colleges, youth groups and similar organisations to link up with others elsewhere in Europe to learn from each other and to develop new ideas.

I would urge anyone in the North-west who thinks that they, or their organisation, could benefit from becoming involved with the EU programmes to find out more at www.lifelonglearningprogramme.org.uk and www.connectyouthinternational.com.

Bill Rammell MP, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education