College Help

ineedinfo

hello all money savers

I am in a pickle at the minute an i need some advice.

I currently live in wakefield,west yorkshire i am 22 years old
i am currently unemployed but want to go to college full time but i cannot afford to pay for the course can i get any help for funding my course and can i claim any benefits whilst i am learning at college, i am going to be a father in may this year so i do not know if this will change my circumstances at all.

I really want to go to college again i am currently on job seekers but have been told i cannot do a full time college course whilst on job seekers.

If you can make sense of my predicament please i will take any advice.

Regards
Rick

ilikedrawing

Do you still live with your parents? Because if they are on a lower income you will get some sort of grant and then a normal student loan.

Best thing to do is to contact your local education authority (LEA)

Good Luck :beer:

ineedinfo

i do not live with my parents i live with my GF she is on a low income an im o n job seekers

hellokitty08

i believe that most colleegs are offering free courses to anyone who doesnt already have a level 2 qualiffication, this means (I think) a NVQ Level 2, 5 of more GCSEs at grade C or above or anything that superseeds this, so A-levels or something. All you have to do if phone your local college and ask.

anniecave

check with your college definately - they will probably know the system

When I was at college (a few years ago now) they reduced some people's hours by 15 minutes per week as the number of course hours was just on the boundary between part time and full time so by reducing their time slightly they classified as part time rather than full time....

briona

Hi Rick

If you don't have GCSEs/A Levels or equivalent qualifications already and the course you want to do is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), being on certain benefits (JSA being one of them) means that you'll qualify for free tuition. As LSC funds a huge range of courses, there's bound to be something you want to study. Use the second link to see what's available (the first one just goes into more detail about the scheme).

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/DG_10033130
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/LearningOutsideTheClassroom/DG_4016530

The other thing I always recommend is an Apprenticeship – very much earn while you learn! As an apprentice you would be paid a minimum of £80pw rising to £95pw in Aug 09 (you wouldn't earn enough to pay tax so you'd take the lot home), you'd work 4 days a week and spend one (paid) day in college studying. You get a minimum of 20 paid holidays per year plus bank holidays, and at the end of it, you'd get a qualification and of course you'd have accrued some on-the-job experience. According to the link below, there are 180 possible career choices in which you could do an apprenticeship. Well worth a look I'd say!

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Be-an-Apprentice/Other-Questions.aspx

There was a similar thread to yours not long ago (link below) which has more information on the stuff above as well as a bit of information on course funding...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1327433

Briona

ineedinfo

Thank you Briona

I do have a foundation gnvq and intermediate gnvq in ICT, does this affect me?

I am going to ring the careers advice number on the site you provided, and see what they say i hope i can get funding, i think it is silly not being able to pursue my dream of being a joiner just because i cant afford to pay for the course.

Many thanks

Rick

Oldernotwiser

ineedinfo wrote: »

Thank you Briona

I do have a foundation gnvq and intermediate gnvq in ICT, does this affect me?

I am going to ring the careers advice number on the site you provided, and see what they say i hope i can get funding, i think it is silly not being able to pursue my dream of being a joiner just because i cant afford to pay for the course.

Many thanks

Rick

Intermediate GNVQ is a level 2 qualification, so you won't get funding to do anything else at this level. If you do a level 3 qualification the fees will be waived, although you won't be able to stay on JSA. You'd be able to get £30 Adult Learning Grant for a course at this level and work part time whilst studying or,alternatively, study part time whilst working full time - no ALG but still no fees for a level 3 course.

briona

Hi Rick

As Oldernotwiser has said, as you already have the equivalent of a Level 2 qualification, you would need to look at a Level 3 qualification which, being under 25, you would not pay fees for. The only other money that I'm aware you could get is the Adult Learning Grant (ALG) – the equivalent of the EMA for 16-18 year olds, but as this is only £30pw, you would definitely need to find a part-time job.

Alternatively, if you can't afford to take a drop in money, you could try an Apprenticeship – the benefit being that you get paid work experience (a minimum of £80pw which is tax free), plus paid time off to attend college one day a week and 20 days' holiday pay per year. Once you've qualified, your money goes up, and of course when you apply for new jobs you will already have considerable experience, which will put you ahead of people who've simply studied for two years.

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Types-of-Apprenticeships/Construction/Carpentry-and-joinery.aspx

Most Colleges can help you find a placement or job to enable you to become an apprentice as they tend to have links with employers.

The ONLY downside I can see of you becoming an apprentice is that when your baby is born you won't be earning enough to get paid paternity leave – you have to earn over £90 or £95pw (can't remember which but either way you wouldn't necessarily be getting that – the £80pw is the statutory minimum an employer MUST pay you but of course they could pay more). In short this would mean that to take time off, it would either be unpaid leave or you would need to reserve some of your holiday time to be used when the baby's born.

On the subject of babies, since your baby is due AFTER 6 April, your partner will be entitled to the new Health in Pregnancy grant – a one-off payment of £190 which can be claimed from the 25th week of pregnancy. Make sure you claim it!

http://campaigns.direct.gov.uk/money4mum2be/

Briona

Oldernotwiser

Without wanting to be pessimistic, there were precious few apprenticeships around for school leavers in the south east a year ago (when I stopped being involved in this sort of work), much less for someone of 22, living in the north, in the middle of a recession. No harm in looking though.

ineedinfo

Thank you Briona and oldernotwiser, you are being a great help to me.

So just to clarify because i have a level 2 in COmputers does that mean i can go straight to a level 3 Joinery course? or do i have to pay for the course at level 1 first?

i think the best option if i can do this is to go to college full time and look for a part time job also.

But i need to be sure what i am asking for when i phone the college.

Many thanks

Rick