SUFFOLK MEP Richard Howitt visited Otley College to discover how a £20,000 Euro cash boost has improved the lives of hundreds of students.The grants the college near Ipswich has received from the European Social Fund (ESF) has enabled it to run many courses and projects it would not otherwise have been able to fund.

SUFFOLK MEP Richard Howitt visited Otley College to discover how a £20,000 Euro cash boost has improved the lives of hundreds of students.

The grants the college near Ipswich has received from the European Social Fund (ESF) has enabled it to run many courses and projects it would not otherwise have been able to fund.

Mr Howitt talked to staff and students and learned about the development of a scheme called Youth for Europe.

The project, which has been running for three years, gives students with learning difficulties the opportunity of experiencing new cultures, with the aim of developing their educational awareness of other cultures, as well as improving their social skills.

He also toured the site of the first phase - construction of a technology centre - of a new multi million pound expansion programme currently taking shape to improve facilities at the college.

Part of the aim of the new build programme is to ensure the next generation of Otley's engineering, construction, sports and equine students, can compete with the UK's European counterparts on an equal footing, both during and after education.

“The ESF is just one of the many ways in which the European Union can positively benefit the lives of people in the UK and abroad, and it was great to witness first hand how the Youth for Europe scheme had powerfully benefited the lives of some Otley College students,” said Mr Howitt.

College marketing manager Sally Hunt said: “We were delighted to welcome Mr Howitt to the college and buoyed by the enthusiasm that he showed the Youth for Europe scheme and our new build programme.

“We have many projects that Otley is running because of European funding and I feel that the role of the EU is often under-appreciated in this country.”

WEBLINK: www.otleycollege.ac.uk