Do I qualify ?

Getting Behind Learners 100% - Now More People Are Eligible for 100% funding, up to £200. ARE YOU?

To be eligible for an Individual Learning Account (ILA) Wales:

• you must be aged 18 or over and be living in Wales
• you or your partner must be claiming income related benefit (see below) ; or
• you must have qualifications equal to NQF (National Qualification Framework) level 2 or below?

The following information will help you to determine your eligibility.

Are you or your partner claiming any of the following income related benefits?

• Income Support
• Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Working Tax Credit
• Council Tax Benefit

If so we could pay all of your course costs up to £200 a year, no matter what qualifications you already have. If your course is more than £200, you will need to pay the difference.

For example:

If you are recieving income related benefits:
Course Costs	We Pay	You Pay
£100	£100	Nothing
£200	£200	Nothing
£300	£200	£100

Will your benefits be affected?

No! ILA Wales has been set up to give you more money to help pay for learning. No matter how much you get from ILA Wales, it will not affect the money you get from benefits.

If you are not claiming income related benefits - do you have qualifications equal to NQF (National Qualification Framework) level 2 or below?

If you and your partner are not claiming any of the benefits listed above, we could pay half of your course costs up to £100 a year, as long as you do not have any formal qualifications, or your qualifications are no higher than:

• GCSE (grade A to G)
• GNVQ intermediate level
• NVQ level 1 or 2
• GNVQ foundation level
• BTEC first certificate

If you are not sure about the level of your qualification, please call Freephone 0800 21 21 34 and the ILA Wales team will check it for you.

What will you have to pay?

We will pay up to 50% of your course costs up to £100 each year, and you will be expected to pay the rest.

For example:

What if my qualifications are higher?

ILA Wales has been set up for people on income related benefits, or for those with little or no formal qualifications. If you or your partner are not claiming any of the listed benefits and you have a Postgraduate degree or NVQ level 5; Degree, NVQ level 4, HNC or HND; AS level, A level, GNVQ advanced, BTEC National Diploma, Access Course level 3 or NVQ level 3, then ILA Wales is not right for you.

If you think you are not eligible, please don’t be discouraged. There are other possibilities that could prove to be more suitable for you.

Alternative Funding

There are many sources of help available to meet the demands that learning has on your finances. One or more of them may well apply to you.

If you’re thinking of entering further or higher education and want to know more about tuition fees, as well as the loans and grants available to students normally living in Wales log on to: www.studentfinancewales.co.uk or call 0845 602 8845.

To find out what other funding is available to you please use the Guide to funding available below or call learndirect on 0800 100 900.

Download: Guide to Funding (.pdf 450KB)