Factsheet 3 Education and Training While the above information in this section is nominally correct, some details for career advice, information, training and learning new skills may differ in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, due to devolution. Separate websites are listed at the end of the Factsheet and it is recommended that you check whichever is appropriate to your location. People aged 16 – 19 Seek help from your school, careers adviser or local Connexions office concerning the options open to them regarding employment, continuing in education or embarking on appropriate training. No special provision is made for deafened or other disabled people, but employers, colleges and training providers are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and subsequent legislation. Where the household income is low, students may be eligible for an Education Maintenance Allowance. People entering Further Education A very large number of courses are available in Further Education Colleges and Adult Education Centres throughout the country. These include vocational courses, computing and information technology, “general interest” courses like foreign languages and valuable courses like lipreading. Attendance may be a condition of benefits like jobseekers allowance, or required by employers seeking qualifications for their staff. Charges are a matter for the College. If they’re not paid by an employer or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), they have to be paid by the student. Some IT courses are free. Some local authorities have a policy of subsidising lipreading courses. Without a subsidy, the course is probably not viable and won’t be offered. People entering Higher Education. The cost of following a course of higher education is made up of two components: tuition fees, payable to the university or college, and the cost of maintaining the student. Assistance is available from the Government for each component, depending on the circumstances of the individual concerned, and application should be made in the normal way. In addition, students with a disability, such as being deaf, deafened or severely hard of hearing are entitled to Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA). This does not depend on the financial circumstances of the student, but solely on need for certain types of assistance. The first enquiry regarding any application for DSA should be made to the Local Education Authority (LEA) in whose area you live if this is in England or Wales. Note, that the LEA concerned is that for the area in which you live, not where you are hoping to study. You should make the contact as soon as you have been offered a provisional place on a course and should NOT wait for exam results, on which a firm place may depend. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you should make the approach to students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) (DELNI). Open University (OU) students should contact the DSA Office at OU. The benefits available under the DSA are quite complicated depending on, amongst other things, the type of course and your assessed needs. More details can be found on the DirectGov website (see Factsheet 1, Section f) or on the Skill website (see Factsheet 1, Section d). If you are on a low income, you may be eligible for assistance from the Access to Learning Fund, which is administered on behalf of the Government by universities and colleges. Further information can be obtained from Skill (see Factsheet 1, Section d). Websites to check according to your Location Career Advice England: www.Careersadvice.direct.gov.uk Northern Ireland: www.careersserviceni.com/cultures/ enGB/homepage.htm Scotland: www.careers-scotland.org.uk Wales: www.careerswales.com Education and Skills: England: www.direct.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning/ adultlearning/ Northern Ireland: www.education-support.org.uk Scotland: www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk Wales: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/ ?lang=en