RETAIL workers who plan to take either a SCPLH course or the SCPLH Refresher course could be in line for official financial assistance which could mean that the training becomes effectively free of charge for the trainee.
To gain the benefit a person has to apply for an Individual Learning Account (ILA). But they’re not available to everyone; they depend on, among other things, a person’s level of salary, on whether or not they are currently studying anything else and on their previous educational attainment.
If you have to do the SCPLH Refresher training you might be able to get financial help. It could pay you to find out and to apply for an account immediately, to give you time to have the account approved and then complete your certificate training well ahead of the 31 August deadline.
ILAs are small grants provided by Skills Development Scotland to help adults enhance their vocational skills. They offer up to £200 towards the cost of job-related training.
To be eligible for an ILA an individual must:
• be ordinarily resident in Scotland
• be aged 16 years or over
• have an income of £22,000 or less, or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit
• not hold a UK degree, postgraduate qualification or overseas equivalent
• not be enrolled in any form of secondary, further or higher education.
Registration is done online at www.myworldofwork.co.uk/ila-scotland. It normally takes a few weeks to process an application. With an ILA account number, it is possible to book training with an approved ILA centre.
When the centre receives the booking they will register this with ILA and issue a learning token. The cost of the training will be deducted from the available balance. The student then takes the token to the training provider on the first day of the course.
www.myworldofwork.co.uk/section/funding
