Education and Employment Minister Baroness Blackstone today announced awards totalling £2.7 million for new initiatives to boost adult learning. Sixty-four organisations from the community, voluntary and educational sectors have successfully bid for grants from the Adult and Community Learning Fund, ranging from £3,600 to £90,000.

Announcing the successful projects in the fourth round of the fund, Baroness Blackstone said:
"The Adult and Community Learning Fund continues to provide opportunities for local organisations to try out innovative and worthwhile ideas to attract people who want to learn and develop new skills. Competition for funding has been fierce - 526 bids were received for this round - and I congratulate the projects which have succeeded in meeting the quality and creativity criteria we have set."

Examples of successful applications for funding are:

* a partnership between The Big Issue in the North and education providers in Leeds to develop a citizenship course, creative writing courses and training in customer care for vendors;

* a Brick Lane project to train local women to make jewellery and develop the necessary skills to establish a small enterprise;

* a Wandsworth-based programme of training in practical activities for adults with learning disabilities, including tuition in cooking and DIY;

* a programme in Nottingham aimed at helping newly-arrived young women from Kashmir live independently in the UK; and

* intergenerational projects in Gorleston, West Sussex, aiming to deepen and celebrate local heritage and identity with a range of activities including creative writing and designing an illustrated manuscript.

The fund uses activities that matter most to local people - such as healthcare, arts and recreation, crime prevention, housing, childcare and the environment - as a context for learning.