EQUALITY of opportunity for youngsters in higher education is a dream that has long been chased but still has to be realised.

The hard fact is that despite many educational advances in recent years students from poor backgrounds trying to get to university continue to face enormous difficulties.

Ever increasing housing costs and the disappearance of grants make getting to university a tough financial target for a lot of teenagers.

The prospect of building up thousands of pounds worth of debt with student loans over three or four years is daunting for any would-be student whose parents just do not have the money to help them out.

Those who are determined to get there this autumn will feel they cannot afford to pass the summer without working long hours in a low paid job to earn some money.

So after getting their A level results in the summer at a time when they should be preparing themselves for a massive life change they are more likely to be working long hours to keep themselves financially afloat.

The initiative being piloted by Blackburn College, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University to help such budding East Lancashire undergraduates is a breath of fresh air.

The college is running a five week intensive summer course aimed at opening the door to university life by giving school leavers the skills they need to survive including information on how to apply for benefits.

Although the course is free those running it realised that those they are hoping to attract will be working to keep financial problems at bay.

So Lancashire County Council is to provide bursaries of £500 - or £100 a week - to each participant to enable them to take part without having to worry about cash.

The move is a welcome recognition of reality and a far cry from the dreamworld in which some politicians live.