Chef

YOUR GUIDE TO COURSES & FUNDING

ADULTS 24+

Start your journey today at...

www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/dreamcareer

Midwife

Salon Owner

Pursue your

DreamCareer

Nurse

Project Engineer

Sports Teacher

Start your journey today at... www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/dreamcareer2

There are many great benefits of choosing to study a Level 3 or Level 4 course at Wigan & Leigh College.

Over 4,500 adult learners choose us each year

to help them gain the skills and knowledge

they need to fulfil a lifelong ambition, secure a

promotion or make a fresh start in a new career.

• Opportunity to build a

new career or enhance

an existing one

• Confidence and skills

needed to succeed to

progress onto university

or further study

• Support & advice from

highly experienced tutors

• Change you need

to enrich your life

professionally &

personally

A Level 3 or 4 qualification can provide you with the:

Your journey

starts here...

Call our Admissions Team for further details on 01942 761 111 3

After studying the Access to Health course,

I now have the confidence to get the career I always

wanted, my daughters are very proud of me

Melissa Wainwright Future Midwife

Studying: Access to Health

Choose your path...

Art & Design

Beauty Therapy

Business & Accounting

Catering & Hospitality

Computing & IT

Construction

Early Years & Childcare

Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Hair & Beauty

Health & Social Care

Mechanical / Manufacturing Engineering

Motor Vehicle Engineering

Public Services

Sport

Access to Health

Access to Science

Access to Sport

Access to Teacher Education

Whether you’re looking to advance your skills or embark on a new career, we have a range of courses to help you achieve your goal in the following subjects:

...Level 3 or 4 vocational qualifications

...Access to Higher Education (HE) Diplomas

There is some great news about Access to Higher Education

courses – If you decide to get a 24+ Advanced Learning

Loan to cover the tuition fees and then go on to

complete a university level course e.g. A Foundation

Degree or a Degree, your 24+ Loan will be written off!

Access to HE Diplomas are qualifications designed to prepare adults

who don’t have traditional qualifications for study at university.

The Access to HE courses currently available are:

You will need a GCSE grade C or above in English or Maths to gain entry onto

one of the Access courses. If you do not have the GCSE’s required for the

Access to HE course, please contact us to discuss the Pre-Access to HE course.

Start your journey today at... www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/dreamcareer4

Advanced Learning Loan

with the

24+

Finding the money to pay for a Level 3 or Level 4 course can be made easy with a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan.

If you are aged 24 or over, Level 3 and Level 4

courses are no longer subsidised by the Government.

The 24+ Advanced Learning Loan can help you to

pay the course tuition fees.

This loan is only available to students on eligible

courses at an approved institution such as Wigan & Leigh College which include:

• Your household income isn’t taken into account

• You won’t have to pay anything back until your annual income is over £21,000

• There’s no credit check

• Most learners aged 24 or over who apply will qualify for these loans from the UK government

It’s easy to apply

• Access to Higher Education Diploma

• Level 3 BTEC or NVQ Certificate course

• Level 3 BTEC or NVQ

Diploma course

• Level 4 Certificate

• Level 4 Diploma

Invest inyour future

Course tuition fees

The amount of loan you can get depends on your course, the tuition fees charged by the College and maximum amounts set by the Government.

The minimum loan amount is £300.

You can take out a loan for the maximum amount

to cover your tuition fee or you can pay all or part of the tuition fee yourself.

Student Finance England (SFE) will pay your agreed tuition fees to the College once they have confirmed your attendance on the course.

The tuition fee for your course is set by the College. The cost will be confirmed before you enrol.

Call our Admissions Team for further details on 01942 761 111 5

Repaying your 24+ Advanced Learning Loan is straightforward.

• You’ll only start making repayments when your income is more than £404 per week, £1,750 per month or £21,000 per year.

• You’ll only pay back 9% of any income above £21,000 a year, see the table below for examples of what you’ll repay:

• If you’re self-employed you’ll be responsible for making student loan repayments as part of your annual self-assessment tax return.

• If you’re employed, you don’t need to do anything. Your employer will take your repayments directly off your salary as they do with tax and national insurance contributions.

• If you stop working, your repayments will stop and only start again when your income is more than £21,000 a year.

• You’ll be due to start repaying your loan in the April after you leave or finish your course – whichever comes first.

• Any loan remaining 30 years after you’re due to start making repayments will be wiped.

I was so pleased to find out it wasn’t too late for

me to change my career, my ambition to teach is

still achievable

Carl Barton Future Primary School Teacher

Access to Teacher Education

Student Loans Company

Income each year before tax

Monthly salary

Monthly repayment

Up to £21,000 £1,750 £0

£22,000 £1,833 £7

£25,000 £2,083 £30

£30,000 £2,500 £67

£35,000 £2,917 £105

£40,000 £3,333 £142

Repayment

Start your journey today at... www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/dreamcareer6

The Facts

Who is eligible for a 24+ Advanced Learning Loan?

To be eligible for a loan, a learner must meet the following criteria:

• Aged 24 or over at the start of your course

• Living in the UK on the first day of your course and have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years immediately before this or be a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (this means there are no restrictions on how long you can stay)

• Enrolling on an eligible course at Level 3 or above which includes: Access to HE Diplomas and other Diplomas and Certificate

• European Union (EU) students who meet the residency criteria will be eligible to apply for a loan

How do I Apply?

Once you have been interviewed and accepted onto your course you will be given an offer letter by the College. The letter will contain all the information you need to apply for your 24+ Advanced Learning Loan.

You apply directly to Student Finance England online or download an application form. Student Finance will assess your eligibility. Online loan applications are open from 5th May 2015 for courses starting after 1st August 2015. www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans

When your application has been approved and you have attended your course for two weeks, the loan amount will be paid directly to the College.

Can I apply for more than one loan?

Once you’ve completed your course, you’ll be eligible for more 24+ Advanced Learning Loans (up to a total of four loans) to help you progress in your studies, but:-

• You can only get one loan at a time

• You can’t apply for another loan to repeat the same level of course e.g. you can’t get a loan to fund a level certificate in French if you have already had a loan for a Level 3 certificate in Italian.

Call our Admissions Team for further details on 01942 761 111 7

Sonia Carter Future Beauty Salon Owner

Studying: Level 3 Beauty Therapy

FAQ

If my course lasts for more than one year do I need to

reapply each year?

No. Your loan application will last for the duration of your course, even when that course lasts for more than one year.

What happens if I changed my mind before I

start my course?

If you no longer wish to undertake your course or you don’t want to take a loan for the course then you can simply contact Student Finance England. Student Finance England will be able to cancel your loan application, and you won’t have any loan to repay.

Will I have to repay the full loan amount if I leave

part of the way through the course?

No. Your loan will be paid to the College in line with your attendance on the course. When you stop attending, payments will stop and you’ll only be liable to repay the amount (including any interest accrued on that amount) that’s already been paid to the College.

If I leave my course part way through will I be required to pay the remainder of the fee to my

College even if my loan payments have stopped?

Before you enrol on the course you’ll need to enter into an agreement with the College. This agreement will include the tuition fee being charged and what you will be required to pay if you don’t complete your course.

Is there extra financial support available?

Extra help is available to support eligible students through the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan Bursary. This fund can help those with learning difficulties or disabilities and costs like childcare and travel for students facing financial hardship.

Further information about this bursary including eligibility criteria can be found on the College website: www.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/24-advanced-learning-loan

Returning to education wasn’t easy for me,

but one year later I can confidently say it is the best

decision I ever made

For course information or details on the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan contact us on:

01942 761 111 applications@wigan-leigh.ac.uk

It’s important you consider your own circumstances and

look into all options for paying for your course before

choosing to take out a loan. You can get independent

financial advice from the Money Advice Service at:

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

For professional financial advice or more information

about student loans contact:

www.direct.gov.uk/advancedlearningloans

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk

The information contained in this publication should be read as guidance only and is not designed to make recommendations on an individual’s financial situation. Wigan & Leigh College endeavours to ensure that information provided in this publication is accurate at the time of going to press.

Am I making the right choice?

Where can I get more information?