How to fund re-training on a low income, newly unemployed?

Dox wrote: »

Then find out. You have twice been given a link which includes details of City & Guilds bursaries - have you read the requirements? Have you been to your local library and checked out what directories they hold on grant-making trusts and charitable bodies? Have you been to your nearest college ('near' may be a relative term, depending where you live) and spoken to the member of staff with specialist knowledge in dealing with the issues confronting mature students? Have you googled/looked at the government website?

You say you want to plan longer term, but to do that you may first need to plan shorter term. If you read back through your thread and look at the way you've responded to the suggestions which have been made, you have pretty much demolished all of them along the lines of 'I know better' or 'oh, but...'. That's a good strategy if you want to avoid taking a risk - particularly the risk of not succeeding first time - but ultimately won't help you get where you want to go. Don't let a miserable start in life destroy what could be a really good future.

You might also like to share the area you are looking at, in case anyone reading the thread genuinely has firsthand knowledge to impart.

Hi Dox, I am following up all useful information given to me in this post. I appreciate it.

Tomorrow I have a list as long as my arm to follow up with calls and emails. It seems from those links that I may be eligible based on the information provided but phone calls should be able to clarify if this is indeed the case.

I have not been to my local library to find directories on grant-making trusts and charitable bodies. I didn't know about this, thank you. Onto my to do list this goes.

My local college does do courses but full time only in a general qualification and not in the area I want to work, so this isn't an option.

I've been on the .Gov website and will be making calls regarding information I found tomorrow.

Long term goals are good but you can't plan long term without planning short term and how to get there. There's all the practical stuff that needs taken care of on a daily basis and I'm well aware of that.

Tonight is spreadsheet work to do so I know where I am and what I need to achieve in order to make this venture a success.

Life is full of adversity but I'm not a quitter. In fact I expect and relish the struggle but I prefer to focus on the solution to problems rather than the problem itself. "knocked down 7 times, stand up 8".....

I have been on many professional forums who understand the field I want to get into. It's always better to get first hand feedback on problems and experiences of others doing the same thing. This is a valuable part of my research which helps keep me in touch with problems which I may experience.

On Tuesday I have my first Job interview.

Thank you for your wise words and taking the time to comment; much appreciated.