Funding for your UK course
There are many places you can look for funding for courses. Higher education courses, such as degrees, have different rules, but here are the main sources of funding available for anyone wanting to do a further education course.
The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) of up to £30 a week could be available to you if you are taking your first Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) or Level 3 (A Level equivalent) course. Eligibility depends on your income and benefits you are receiving but if you are studying for at least 12 hours a week it is certainly worth looking into.
Childcare can also be a problem if you are studying a part time course as an adult. If you are over 20 and out of work with a working partner you may be eligible for free childcare for your course. Your college should have more information to help you with this.
If you are over 50, have been out of work for some time and are starting a new job, you may be able to obtain a grant of up to £1500 for a work related training course. Employers are often prepared to part or fully fund courses, so that is yet another avenue you could pursue.
Some courses are free to everybody. Reading, writing and number skills courses are provided free of charge to any adults who have not achieved Level 2 qualifications, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) also fund a wide range of courses. You can find free courses on subjects such as healthcare, computers and ESOL.
Most colleges also have discretionary support funds if you find yourself in financial difficulty after you have started your course. It is definitely worth enquiring about this if you unexpectedly have problems paying for your studies, travel or materials.
If you are looking for other free courses then you can look online for options. The BBC website offers a number of free courses including literacy, numeracy, computers and languages.
Whatever you do, don’t let the lack of funds put you off getting further qualifications. They can improve self esteem and confidence as well as being a great boost to your job prospects. If you’ve taken courses and overcome financial difficulties to do so, we’d love to hear from you in our forums.
Alex is a software developer and not a professional writer. Being a non native speaker he sometimes do mistakes in English.
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