This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Cash to help Scots learners
13/12/2004
Scottish learners are to receive up to £200 a year to
pay for courses that will help them get back into work,
improve their career opportunities and fulfil their
potential, it was announced today.
The new Individual Learning Account (ILA) Scotland
scheme, which has been funded until at least 2008, will
help remove cost as a barrier to adult education for
thousands of people across Scotland.
It builds on the strengths of the previous ILA scheme
which was popular with learners. The new ILA Scotland has
been extensively tested and incorporates new, robust
measures to prevent fraud.
Minister for Lifelong Learning Jim Wallace said:
"This is good news for people in Scotland, who can use
ILA Scotland funds to pay for courses that will help to
develop their skills, interests and opportunities.
"It is all too easy for government to talk about the
benefits of learning for everyone, regardless of their age
or social background. As an Executive we must do more than
just talk, we must ensure that practical opportunities
exist for people to undertake the type of learning best
suited to them. ILA Scotland opens up opportunities for
people on lower incomes, who previously would have faced
financial barriers to learning.
"There is clear evidence the economy is growing and it
is our top priority to ensure this growth continues. We can
only achieve this by ensuring that individuals are equipped
to meet the ever-changing skills needs of the modern
economy, and ILA Scotland can help lead to a more skilled
workforce by assisting individuals to develop their skills
and learn new ones."
Initially, ILA Scotland is available to people whose
income is £15,000 or less, who can use the funds towards a
wide range of courses.
An additional offer, to be launched in 2005, will have
no income restrictions and will provide funding of up to
£100 per year. It will be available for Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) learning up to and
including Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Level 5 or equivalent.
For both offers, learners will be asked to provide a
minimum contribution of £10 for each course they
undertake.
Thousands of learners are expected to take advantage of
ILA Scotland. Among them is 32-year-old Alan Penman of
Campbeltown. After becoming a labourer, Alan was twice made
redundant. He decided to get back into the classroom and
retrain. He has already completed a National Certificate
(NC) in Office Technology and intends to use his ILA
Scotland funds to gain further qualifications.
He said: "I was sick of dead end jobs, and knew the way
forward was to equip myself with modern skills.
"The way I see it is that I'm arming myself for the job
market and I know that these qualifications will make a big
difference. I always intended to go back to learning at
some point.
"Now I hope to use ILA Scotland towards the funding for
a course that will allow me to learn more advanced computer
skills, and hopefully lead to a new career in
computing."
The launch of ILA Scotland has been welcomed by a range
of organisations, including the Scottish Trades Union
Congress, Glasgow City Council, Careers Scotland and the
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.
STUC Deputy General Secretary Grahame Smith said: "This
initiative will bring much needed funding for learning
opportunities to many individual trade union members in
Scotland. It will also strengthen the role that many trade
unions and union learning representatives have in the
promotion and support for learning in workplaces throughout
Scotland."
ILA Scotland provides the
learner, initially those with an income of £15,000
or less, with up to £200 per 'learner year'. How
the learner uses these funds is up to them; they
might want to use it for one single course or for
several smaller courses throughout the year. A
'learner year' runs for 12 months from when an
individual's learning account is set up.
All the learner has to do to
access these funds is to call free on
0808 100 1090 to request an ILA
Scotland application pack ,choose the learning they
want to do and then pay to their chosen learning
provider a minimum personal contribution of £10
towards each piece of learning they undertake.
Their ILA Scotland funds will be paid direct to
their chosen learning provider.
ILA Scotland funds can be
used to pay for any learning the learner wants to
do as long as it is an ILA Scotland approved
course. This means they can access a wide range of
courses from registered learning providers
including learning centres, colleges, universities
and private training providers.
As a requirement of being an
ILA Scotland registered provider, all learning
providers must hold a minimum quality standard such
as having learndirect scotland branded learning
centre status or having attained Scottish Quality
Management System (SQMS). These rigorous quality
standards should ensure that all learners have a
positive and productive learning experience.
ILA Scotland is available to
everyone aged 18 or over who is ordinarily resident
in Scotland. ILA Scotland is being introduced using
a phased approach and will initially be targeted at
individuals on low incomes, specifically those with
a personal gross earned income of £15,000 or less
per year. An additional funding offer, which will
not be income restricted, will be introduced in
summer 2005 and will offer support to learners who
wish to complete ICT training up to SCQF Level 5 or
equivalent. By taking this phased approach, ILA
Scotland is more able to target those who will
benefit most, specifically those who can least
afford to get back into learning and typically have
few qualifications.