CUMBRIAN students have received a double boost with extra grants for university students and four colleges uniting their talents.

The University of Central Lancashire has campuses at Carlisle and Penrith and, from 2006, students enrolling on full-time courses, whose family income is £15,000 or less, will receive a £2,700 Government grant and a 'Ones to Watch' scholarship worth £1,000.

The move is designed to offset the effects of charging £3,000 tuition fees per year to all new, full-time undergraduate students from September next year, as will happen at most universities in the country.

Bryn Davies, President of the UCLan Students' Union, said: "This additional money will help new students make more considered choices when faced with the reality of paying the bills or reaching their academic potential."

Local scholarships, which target students from working class backgrounds within Lancashire, will soon be extended to cover the Cumbrian campuses. New scholarships in areas where national skills shortages exist, such as in engineering and science, will also be set up in the near future.

At college level, a sea change is beginning in the way institutions across the county work together.

Carlisle, Furness, Kendal, and West Lakes Colleges have joined forces to create a single 'Cumbrian Colleges' brand, they hope will raise all their profiles. A more tangible benefit is the £1 million they hope to save through sharing technology, marketing, personnel and course costs.

Through collaboration and sharing of back of house services the colleges hope to save up to £1 million.

Kendal College principal Graham Wilkinson said the increased coordination could contribute to a better educated Cumbrian populace which was vital for the county's economic future.

According to new figures from the Cumbria Learning and Skills Council, the national average hourly wage ranges from £7.10 for someone with no qualification to more than £14.50 for a graduate.