The secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills faced a hostile reception when he addressed a meeting at the lobby of parliament organized by CALL (the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning), reports The Guardian.

The government's policy of seeking to target employment-related skills has meant severe cuts to many courses and a large decline in the number of adults participating in education classes.  The Guardian reports that the minister, John Denham, received an "explosion of boos and jeers" when he referred to "holiday Spanish".  The suggestion that certain courses are frivolous was not well received!

The Freire Institute will be hosting a Fair Trade Evening on 26 February to kick off Fairtrade Fortnight.  The evening will include a video presentation, discussion of issues around fair trade and the chance to sample and purchase some fair trade products.

Fairtrade Fortnight is an initiative of the Fairtrade Foundation.  Details of this year's activities and those of past years can be found here .

We are looking for people interested in creating community-based radio stations for broadcast on the internet or on FM with a local FM licence.

You may have creative ideas for programmes, a willingness to present shows or an interest in production.  We are putting together some training packages for those who are interested.

Please contact us if you wish to get involved.