Refugees and asylum seekers in Oxford and Banbury will be able to learn computer skills, thanks to new European funding.

The Ethnic Minority Business Service (EMBS) has won public finance from the European Social Fund to allow it to run courses for unemployed people from ethnic minorities until December 2003.

The service's manager, Dr Shaila Srinivasan, said refugees and asylum seekers would also be eligible, as well as other jobless people who did not qualify for other mainstream training programmes such as the Work Based Training for Adults and the Learning Skills Council courses.

One refugee, who has already benefited from the computer training course, is Sherko Zen-Anoush, a Kurd from Syria. He set up the Euphrates Restaurant in Cowley Road.

The business services management and staff had their Christmas dinner at the restaurant and were entertained between courses by a belly dancer, according to the latest EMBS newsletter.

Dr Srinivasan said that the new European money spelled a benefit for women in particular as it covered such costs as childcare and travel for trainees.

The courses offered focus primarily on Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Now the EMBS is investigating methods of increasing its Internet training. It is planning to invest in more broadband ADSL telephone access in order to increase the speed of surfing.

This will mean that EMBS can train more than ten users at the same time and also offer courses in web design, which needs fast upload and download speeds.

The service has also successfully applied to the University for Industry (Ufi) to become a Learndirect Learning Centre.

The new ADSL broadband Internet connection satisfies Learndirect's requirements for online training.