At the end of the courses, these youths will be given a two-year contract to work in European institutions’ interpretation sections.

They will also lecture at the University of Malta in 2005. Once their two-year contract is up, they will be able to apply for other posts in the field.

Education Minister Louis Galea said the youths will each be given a grant of S25,000 to cover the costs of the Westminster course, accommodation and course material.

The European Parliament will pay for the training while the Maltese government will cover air travel expenses. The course starts next month and ends in May 2005.

Dr Galea said there was a wealth of opportunities within the EU for people strong in languages. Dr Galea said the selection process was not easy as 110 people sat for a preliminary aptitude test. In addition, he said, the EU had allocated S111,000 to the University of Malta to set up a course in this country.

‘We are still learning, but we are learning fast and I believe we can succeed. We are capable of turning challenges into opportunities, like we are already doing,’ he said