We provide free impartial information, advice and support to students throughout their College life. We currently help administer and support various government run schemes.

EMA

The changes for 2011/12 means;

• EMA will cease to exist for new students in September 2011
• Existing EMA recipients will receive a notice of entitlement for 2011/12, which will explain their entitlement for 2011/12 academic year.
• A letter will also be issued to students whose entitlement is being withdrawn as part of the transitional arrangements, advising them as to the reason for this.

What do these transitional arrangements mean for those students currently receiving EMA mean?

• Eligible students who applied in 2009/10 will continue to receive payments at the same level until the end of 2011/12 academic year.
• Eligible students who first applied in 2010/11 and who are awarded the maximum weekly EMA payment of £30 will be eligible for £20 each week they are in education or training until the end of 2011/12 academic year.
• Eligible students who first applied in 2010/11 and were awarded £20 or £10 will not be eligible for transitional support in the 2011/12 academic year, but may benefit from the new 16-19 years bursary fund.

Adult Learning Grant

The changes for 2011/12 means;

• ALG will cease to exist for new students in September 2011
• Existing ALG recipients will receive a Notice of Entitlement for 2011/12 to enable them to complete their current course and receive weekly payments.
• There will be transitional arrangements for 2011/12 only, to help those who are currently receiving ALG who are part-way through their learning to continue to get support to enable them to complete their course.

Students claiming EMA / ALG will not normally be eligible for the Bursary, however if their personal circumstances prevent them from attending college they may receive additional help.

Students can apply by downloading a form from the website, calling the College Welfare Team on 01908 684364, requesting a Bursary Application Form from Reception or by emailing bursary@mkcollege.ac.uk

The 16-18 guaranteed Bursary will be paid monthly to help the most vulnerable students to budget effectively and the main 16-18 & 19+ Bursaries will be issued termly.    

Professional and Career Development Loans are 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 Young People's Learning Agency will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. 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. Because the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should only be considered as an option once all other student funding options have been investigated. For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Careers Advice on 0800 100 900. Our learning provider registration number is: 6064.

Grants available for Lone Parents

If you are a loan parent please see the enclosed link, you may be eligible for some additional funding!

Earlier this year Family -action announced that they had received £150,000 to distribute as educational grants, to help lone parents back to work. After a very successful grants round, Barclaycard have announced that they will be providing Family Action with an additional £100,000 to allow us to run a second Horizons Education Fund in October.

Grant of £500 to £1,000 will be available to lone parents in their final year of study before seeking employment. Family -action will only be accepting applications from 3rd October to 3rd November ONLY.  All applications must be made on-line via www.yourhorizons.com

Details can also be found on the Family -action website at www.family-action.org.uk/grants

Care to Learn

Care to learn can help pay for your childcare costs whilst you learn as long as you are under the age of 20.

For further information call 0800 121 8989