ECDL course

JemmaLouise_3

I am currently unemployed, i dont have any decent GCSE grades and since school for the last 3 years i been on and off doing hairdressing but i just know that isnt me and having no experience and no qualifications in anything else is meaning i cant get a job especially in the situation as it stands!!
I have seen an ECDL IT course at my local uni that is a distance course, done at home it costs £200, and i wondered if anyone knew if i was able to get a grant for that because i am on benefits? and also would they stop my benefits for doing a distance course although i will be actively seeking work and will be available every day?

I have been googling about it but i cant find anything on it and i dont want to ask at the job centre incase they decided to stop my benefits.

Any help or advice would be great

gwendlyn_2

Heya, i did this course a few years ago and found it a great thing to have on a CV as employers seem to like it so i hope you can find a way to do it. I did mine through learn direct (based at my city library) where i could also use their facilites and best of all it was free as i had no other qualifications and i know how hard it is to get started with no money.
Might be worth seeing if there if a learn direct in your area to help you get started

Oh and also worth a look if you are interested in trying to get some type of qualification is the Open University..they have some great courses starting at an easy to manage level an you can apply for help with the financial side of things. People on the phones there are very helpful or you can apply through the website

(sorry i cant link it as im a new user )

Anyhow best of luck, hope things work out well for you

Magnolia

Hi Jemma Louise

If you haven't got a full level 2 (5 GCSEs at C or above) then I would suggest getting in touch with your local college and making an appointment to speak with their NextStep adviser.

If you are serious about getting your qualifications up to scratch then you will need your maths and English at a C or above (that's if you don't already have them that is) and getting something down on paper that you can do it.

For many reasons some people don't perform well in a school environment. That's not to say they arenot capable of learning - just that school didn't work for them.

ECDL is a good, general qualification to have and if you are on benefit should be reduced. Your NextStep adviser will be able to tell you what you can do.

Give it a go - there are many government schemes out there and I feel sure one of them will fit your needs.

Doing a part time course will not affect your benefit.

shopndrop

Try your local adult education centre. I work in one and anyone on certain benefits including JSA get free tuition, they just pay for the modules as and when they take them, although I have read somewhere that people sometimes get help with paying for these too.

Oldernotwiser

I second the recommendation to Nexstep (I would, I used to work for them!) and would totally agree with getting a Maths and English qualification first. If you contact Learndirect you can find out about doing their Adult Literacy/Numeracy qualifications which are equivalent to GCSE and free.

Don't embark on anything else unless you've discussed it with a Careers Adviser first. ECDL is a good qualification but not that relevant for many careers; work out where you're going before investing any money in the journey!

Good luck.

Magnolia

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

ECDL is a good qualification but not that relevant for many careers

In theory I agree but as the majority of posts are computer based it is a good basic qualification to have on the CV.

I will even go as far to say that any recent qualification on a CV looks good as it shows willing to improve yourself and the ability to study at an acceptable level of learning (level 2).

Oldernotwiser

Magnolia wrote: »

In theory I agree but as the majority of posts are computer based it is a good basic qualification to have on the CV.

I will even go as far to say that any recent qualification on a CV looks good as it shows willing to improve yourself and the ability to study at an acceptable level of learning (level 2).

Nothing against ECDL, especially when it used to be free. On the other hand, not that relevant for things like care work/horticulture/childcare etc.

As the OP seems to be very short of money and presumably already has a level 2 qualification if she's a hairdresser, she might well need this money to fund, say, an NVQ in a different employment area. I just think she needs to sort out her direction first before embarking on anything that needs paying for.

I don't think we're really disagreeing on any of any of this, by the way.

crockpot

I wanted to do ECDL and they job center told me that they could not fund it.

I can do it free at my local collage in Sept but it will take me a year to do it.

Learn direct local center do, do it, but have no funding left for this school year.

I am now doing a learn direct maths corse as do not have maths O level and hope to do ECDL with them in sept, should be able to do it in a few months.

Spoke to job center ,had to fill forms in, aslong as training is less than 16 hours a week, you have to be able to be contacted while doing course and be prepared to stop course if a job comes along you are ok.

Good luck

Magnolia

Funding at level 2 may still be available if it is retraining in another area - mind you - under LSC rules you can only do this once. If a full level 2 has been gained then a level 3 could be funded - 1st full level 3 and under 25. Its a complicated business is this funding and in our college we have people who deal with the different areas.

This new funding for New Deal is fraught with pot holes and detours. Not quite got my head round it yet as we don't deal with it from our office (full time and part time adult ed courses only)

LittleVoice

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I second the recommendation to Nexstep (I would, I used to work for them!) and would totally agree with getting a Maths and English qualification first. If you contact Learndirect you can find out about doing their Adult Literacy/Numeracy qualifications which are equivalent to GCSE and free.
.

Definitely explore the Certificates in Adult Literacy and Adult Numeracy. You can take the tests for free. They are at the equivalent levels as GCSEs but have a more restricted syllabus and are therefore quicker to achieve from a standing start as it were. You take just one test for each certificate - rather than having to do marked assignments and more than one written exam for each.

Even if you already have GCSE in English and Maths, it can be worth doing these as they show your skills are current and not just where you were when you took GCSE.

Oldernotwiser

Magnolia wrote: »

Funding at level 2 may still be available if it is retraining in another area - mind you - under LSC rules you can only do this once. If a full level 2 has been gained then a level 3 could be funded - 1st full level 3 and under 25. Its a complicated business is this funding and in our college we have people who deal with the different areas.

This is the tricky thing. If you have a level 2 from many years ago you don't get funding for another one and you can normally only do a level 3 if you already have a level2. This funding isn't really for people who want to retrain but for people who never got any qualifications - unfortunate but true!.

It is complicated; I used to be one of those people!