Eligibility for Fully Funded or Subsidised Training
The rules for eligibility for government-funded programmes and European Social Fund projects can vary from time to time so we need to check eligibility for each individual, employer and qualification or training required before the training starts.
All our training is available to any individual and employer at competitive rates but the following is a general guide to eligibility for fully-funded or subsidised government- or ESF funded training and what sort of training can be funded.
Young People
Apprenticeships are fully funded for 16-18 year olds.
They must have reached the compulsory school leaving age, must not be in full-time education and must not have already achieved a degree or other Level 4 or Higher Level qualification.
For Access to Apprenticeships young people must be aged 16-24 on the day they start, and either not in education, employment or training (NEET) the whole of the preceding 13 weeks or longer and/or have certain additional needs (there is a formal list of qualifiying needs we have to work to and we will help you find out if you qualify when you apply).
16-18 year olds who are not in other education, employment or training may also be eligible for Pre-Apprenticeship training through ESF-funded Pathways to Apprenticeship, Foundation Learning or the ESF Freestyle project.
Adults
Individuals aged 19 and over may be eligible for Skills Funding Agency funded training. Individuals need to be aged 19 or over when starting workplace training or for other sorts of training aged 19 or over on
31st August in the funding year they start their training (a funding year is measured from 1st August to 31st July).
Eligibility depends on the age of the person who would do the training, the level of qualifications they already have, the level and type of qualification or training they want to do and the size of the employer (e.g. are they an SME with fewer than 250 employees?).
Fully Funded Training (i.e. no fees to pay)
Unemployed Adults
Unemployed people on active benefits (Job Seekers' Allowance, including NI credits only, and Employment and Support Allowance Work Related Activity Group) are generally eligible for fully funded training (i.e. no fees to pay) for a wide range of training – e.g. Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications, units of qualifications, Basic or Functional Skills, or Entry/Level 1 qualifications if necessary to give a step up to Level 2 (i.e. can't cope with going straight to Level 2).
We may also fund training for people on other state benefits if there is a good case that they are on state benefits, actively seeking work, and are likely to complete successfully and to get work if they get the training or qualification.
Employed adults
Adults aged 19-24 or 25 and over who don't have a first full level 2 qualification or equivalent (e.g. GCSEs at grades A*-C , NVQ Level 2) will generally be eligible for fully funded training to get their first full level 2 qualification, including funding for Entry Level/Level 1 training if they need a 'step up' to Level 2, or funding for a Level 3 qualification if they are jumping straight to that level without taking a level 2 first.
19-24 year olds adults who don't have a first full level 3 qualification will generally be eligible for fully funded training to get a first full level 3 qualification.
Armed service personnel without a full Level 3 qualification, who have left the Armed Services within the past 10 years after 4 or more years of service, or have been medically discharged due to an injury
in active service after completing basic training can get fully funded training for a first full Level 3 qualification.
Subsidised (or 'Co-funded') Training
Adults not eligible for fully funded training may be eligible for subsidised training.
Apprenticeship training for 19-24 year olds is subsidised (co-funded) by the government, Skills training for 19-24 year olds and those aged 25 and over not covered by any of the fully funded categories above may be eligible for co-funded training – e.g. second level 2 qualifications are co-funded for those not on active benefits or employed by SMEs.
Where training is subsidised, or co-funded, by the government it expects employers to contribute up to 50% of the costs for workplace training and providers to charge learners fees equivalent to 50% of the costs for other, non-workplace training.
DMT operates a flexible charging policy to help prevent the expectation of employer contributions presenting a barrier to take up of Apprenticeships and training (e.g. employers can make their contributions 'in kind') so please ask for more details.
