Do you need financial support for your City & Guilds course?

If you are aged 16 or over and you live in the UK then you can apply for an access bursary (educational grant).

We can offer financial assistance to a small number of people who are finding it difficult to pay the bills while they study for a City & Guilds or NPTC qualification. We may be able to help with:

• paying course fees (if no other funding is available)
• covering the cost of a break from work while you study
• paying child care or travel costs
• helping towards the cost of essential equipment or materials.

Who is eligible?

You must be enrolled (or intending to enrol) on an approved course that leads to a City & Guilds, HAB or NPTC qualification. Only applicants who are currently living in the UK and intend to enrol on a course within the UK can be considered.

How to apply for an access grant

You can complete the form by downloading it, printing and sending it to us using the FREEPOST address. Click here to download an application form.

The form is designed to tell us about the sort of person you are and what you want to study. There are no right or wrong answers. If you want to, ask a friend or a family member for help in completing it.

What happens next?

We look at all the application forms to help us decide who to invite to an interview. Unfortunately, we can only offer interviews to a small number of people – but don’t let that put you off! If you don’t apply, you can’t be considered.

Interviews are held in a number of city centres across the UK and generally last about 45 minutes. We will pay the travel costs of those who come for an interview.

Timescales

You can submit your application at any time. Applications are considered twice a year – in June and December – and you will be notified soon after that whether you have been chosen to go forward to the next stage (an interview).

If you miss one cut-off date, your application will automatically go into the next application period.

The closing date for the current round of applications is Friday 5 December 2008.  Applications received after this date will go forward to the next round which will be in June 2009.