Course Funding - Grants

There are many different grants available for extending your present skill set or starting a new career.  This will depend on your circumstances and employment background.

These can be provided through business link, local and central Government and DWP (Department of Work and Pensions).

Business Link Grants

The UK Governments Business Link organisation provides a regional support to business in all apects including grants and training assistance.

More details can be found at Business Link grants

Local Government Grants

Many local councils have 'ways to work' programmes, which operate to assist people with addtional training or get them back into paid employment.  We would advise you to contact your local council to see if there is any assistance available with this.

JobCentres

There is special funding available through the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) for people who are unemployed or face redundancy. Your local JobCentre will be able to contact the DWP Rapid Response Team to gain funding through this method.

Professional & Career Development Loans

Professional and Career Development Loans are commercial bank loans that can
be used to help pay for work related learning. You can borrow between £300 and
£10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it
includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work). The Government will pay the
interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. You will
then need to start repaying the loan as you would any other commercial loans
product. The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and
living expenses. You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support
such as grants or bursaries.

As the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, you
should make sure you have investigated all the funding options that may be open to
you to ensure you take an informed decision about whether the Loan is right for you.
For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, visit
www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Next Step on 0800 100 900.

Our learning provider registration number is: 12292.

For Funding Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) please see our Funding FAQs page