Gordon Brown has announced a voucher scheme where up to 50,000 low-paid and unemployed people will get basic computer training.

In his pre-Budget speech yesterday, the Chancellor said the vouchers will be exchanged for information and communications technology courses at local colleges. The intention is to give those who may have never used a computer a recognised qualification, such as a City & Guilds certificate.

The vouchers will eventually be left in public centres such as post offices and supermarkets.

The scheme is part of the government's wider plan to turn Britain into an IT paradise. Yesterday, Gordon Brown announced a £70 million link-up between Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). ®