Free taster courses aimed at opening up new areas of training for as many people as possible have been launched by the Learning and Skills Council.

Bite Size Intros will last up to three hours and offer an introduction to a range of skills from building walls to learning a foreign language.

The courses are part of a national campaign to encourage 50,000 people to learn something new. Lynda Purser, executive director of the LSC for Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, said: "We hope to encourage people to book on any course that grabs their interest.

"We think the experience will encourage people to take that subject further, and are particularly keen for people who have not been in formal education for a while, or who have had negative experiences of learning, to have a go.

"Learning can take many different forms, and does not need to be tied to examinations or pressure. It can be fun and is a chance to meet other people with similar interests."

The first Bite Size campaign launched last year was a huge success with around 70,000 people taking part in a variety of venues from colleges and pubs to village halls and supermarkets.

Venues for this year's courses, which are being held between Monday, May 20, and June 21, include Faringdon Community College, Best Training (Banbury), Carterton Community Education Centre and Oxford College of Further Education.

For details call the free helpline on 08080 200 500, or visit the campaign's website, www.bitesizeintros.info