A SCHEME to encourage people to learn new skills is celebrating its first birthday.

Swindon's Learning Ambassadors were first recruited a year ago.

The role of the first 17 ambassadors was to encourage others in their community to learn something new.

Now another eight recruits are set to start on the programme and the project has secured a contract with Swindon Council for European funding.

Teams of ambassadors are now operating in Parks and East Walcot, Penhill, the town centre, Pinehurst and Moredon.

A spokeswoman for the programme said: "In the first three months of 2005, local outreach teams enrolled 56 people on to the scheme.

"These were people like Sarah from Penhill.

"She found it helpful that one of the Penhill Learning Ambassadors kept her up to date on when first aid and crche worker courses would be starting and what they would involve.

"Both courses, organised locally and supported through the scheme, were in venues close to where her children go to school, with crche provided so childcare wasn't a problem."

An Adult Learning Week is taking place from May 21-27. For more information telephone 01793 615504.