Oxford East MP Andrew Smith has demanded a meeting with Government officials after £240,000 of funding was suddenly cut from a training scheme for ethnic minorities.

Trainees taking courses at the Ethnic Minority Business Service in Cowley have been told Jobcentre Plus will no longer fund them.

Joanne Wong, Tanya Major, Abdul Ghafoor and Shaila Sriniva of the EMBS More than 30 students, referred to the EMBS by Jobcentre Plus, could now be forced to abandon courses specially designed to help them integrate into Britain.

EMBS chief executive Dr Shaila Sriniva said: "Jobcentre Plus sent us a letter on February 28 saying our funding would be continued. Then on March 11 they wrote to tell us our funding would be cut.

"We were told £240,000 of funding -- almost half our total budget -- would be withdrawn in a fortnight's time."

EMBS trainee Sopna Bibi, originally from Bangladesh, said: "I'm really scared, because I wanted this computer course to help me get a job and now I may not be able to carry on with the course."

Mr Smith wants talks with representatives from the Department of Work and Pensions -- of which he was Secretary of State until last year.

He said: "As soon as I heard about this, I wrote to Jobcentre Plus taking up the case.

"I have told Jobcentre Plus I want a meeting with them and the EMBS to thrash this out to ensure local people from ethnic minorities continue to get the support they need to get into jobs and start businesses."

A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: "There was a national review of all Jobcentre Plus service providers in March.

"Service providers were evaluated on a job outcome and value for money criteria, which forms the basis of the contract between Jobcentre Plus and its service providers.

"The decision not to extend the contract of the EMBS was taken in this context.

"Jobcentre Plus remains committed to helping all its customers back into employment and will continue to provide training opportunities to help people back to work."