Financial Incentives Boost for Lancashire Learners

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In today’s climate, you would be hard pressed to come up with a more immediate motivation to study than financial help.

And now, students across Lancashire have a reason to continue education as nearly 6,000 young learners have received an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) bonus of £100. The EMA is a financial incentive paid to young people who continue to study after 16 on a wide range of courses such as vocational courses up to NVQ level 3, academic courses such as A-Levels or GCSE retakes at school or college. More than £500,000 has been paid out to Lancashire learners aged 16, 17 and 18.

Future Looking Brighter, says Young Learner

16 year old Jodie Farrington, from Ormskirk School, was going to leave after sitting her GCSEs and get a job. Because of the EMA she can afford to stay on in education and is now considering career options that seemed unlikely a year ago. Jodie receives £20 a week from the EMA to help towards her studies and gets bonus payments of £100 for good attendance and coursework.

Commenting on her new options, she says: “The EMA has been fantastic for me; it gave me the support I needed at the right time and my future is definitely looking brighter as a result.”

Steve Palmer, Executive Director of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in Lancashire, said: “Completing a course and gaining qualifications is an important way of getting ahead in life. In fact, at the LSC we are so sure of the benefits of getting skills and qualifications that we are giving young people up to £30 each week to stay on at school or college. Thousands in the Lancashire area are already benefiting.”

To see if you are eligible for the EMA call 080 810 16219 or visit the website for an application pack by clicking here.

Aakriti Kaushik

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