could we get any help?

rach!_3

hi there everyone.
soooooooo my fella would like to do a plumbing course, but we have looked online and they cost about £6000, we would just like know if there is any help we might be able to get.
we are a family of 5, on a low income + tax credits(wtc & ctc)+child ben, buying our first home well surveyors have been instructed so far(i guess this might be where we get stuck kind of like if ya can buy a house ya can afford a course).
does anyone have any help or advice to offer please?

jonuk7

not sure about funding but what about looking and speaking with companies and see if they would take him on as an "apprentice" basically he works for them in return for them training him? Usually get 1 day a week at the nearest college that cover plumbing.

rach!_3

would he get paid as usual? its just he has a job at the minute(which i guess is obvious otherwise we wouldnt be able to buy a house, lol) and he would ideally like to fit the course around that so we know we will be ok whilst he is training

jonuk7

As far as i know on a full apprenticship he gets paid a salary by the company not sure of amounts but it is a full time comitment usually 9-5 mon to thur and then the friday at the college or similar to that. not sure if it would be possible to keep his current job and do the apprentiship. Have you looked at maybe home learning courses? or something similar

rach!_3

i hadnt as i wasnt sure if there would be such things for this, but i will have a look now.

Oldernotwiser

Adult apprenticeships are few and far between and they're unlikely to pay more than a basic training rate which can be lower than minimum wage. He needs to contact his local college regarding part time courses (probably starting next year) which may be free depending on his existing qualifications. You won't get any financial help with fast track plumbing courses, which generally aren't to be recommended anyway.

colin13

got a friend who has a electrical company (only small) but he has started taking on adult trainees (apprentices in othere words) because the younger people r not intrested in learning,, he gets help to pay them through the goverment, same as apprentices , but the upper age limit is 25 ,,

Diamonds_2

If he's on a low wage (£7 per hour or less) he may be able to have a course funded by the government... all he would need is a letter stating his hourly rate of pay.

CFC

Yes, if you can afford to buy a house you can afford to buy a course.

How are you going to pay the mortgage if your husband goes on a course?

my_two_cents

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Adult apprenticeships are few and far between and they're unlikely to pay more than a basic training rate which can be lower than minimum wage. . .

No wonder, I remember a friend wanted to do an apprenticeship at the age of 19 and most of the employers turned her down - despite the fact that the scheme was supposed to be for people age 16-25 years - because they said they did not know where they stood with respect to the minimum wage as they usually paid apprentices around £75 per week for 9-5 Mondays to Fridays.

my_two_cents

@ OP

Contact Learndirect on 0800 100 900 or learndirect.co.uk to find out about a Career Development Loan for work related earning or the Adult Learning Grant which offers up to £30 per week if you are studying in England for more than 12 hours a week.

You can also find out more about finances from direct.gov.uk/adultlearning