NEXT time you pop into the local supermarket you could come out with a whole new outlook on life - well that is part of a plan being promoted by the new training agency for Wales.

Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) has launched a three-year corporate plan which outlines investment of more than £1bn in education and training for people aged over 16.

And a key plank of the new programme is an opening out of education, making it accessible to as many people as possible - that is where the supermarkets come in. ELWa says everyday locations such as shops, surgeries and train stations will become key centres for learning.

The new 'open all hours' blueprint aims to make learning fit into people's lifestyles and work patterns.

But before the agenda is cast in stone, people across Wales will get the chance to comment on the contents before it is finally submitted to the National Assembly for approval at the end of the year.

ELWa chairman Enid Rowlands (pictured) said: "This corporate plan is all about opening learning up to the maximum number of people.

"Our aim is not only to have the highest quality post-16 education and training inn Europe but also to bring that learning into people's lives and make it available at times and places that suit them.

"What could be more appropriate as a learning venue than a supermarket? "Most people visit them at least once a week and their opening hours are more flexible than ever before to match people's lifestyles."

The corporate plan, which will influence ELWa's policies and investment decisions over the next three years, contains five main building blocks - essential skills, lifelong leaning for individuals; knowledge generation and application, skills for business and community learning.