Help with funding your learning
Support to cover all or some of the cost of your learning will depend on your circumstances and the sorts of learning you have chosen.

The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) offers online guidance and advice on funding for those studying in post-16 education in the UK, including information on loans, grants, benefits, access funds, hardship funds, bursaries and charitable trusts.

Adult Learner Grants
You may be able to get up to £30 a week to help with learning costs if you go back to college. If you’re an  adult taking a full-time course, you could get up to £30 per week during term time – that’s around £1000 a  year depending on your circumstances.  Adult Learner Grants are there to give you a helping hand  towards travel, study materials or other costs you might incur while you’re studying for more than 12 hours a week.

Career Development Loans
A Career Development Loan is a bank loan designed to help you pay for work-related learning. You don’t have to start paying your loan back until one month after you stop training

A Career Development Loan (CDL) can help you gain the experience, training and qualifications you need to improve your job skills or even launch a new career.  You can use it to fund a variety of courses with a wide range of organisations, so you are able to choose the course that best suits your needs.

The key points about CDLs are:
you can borrow anything between £300 and £8,000 to help you fund up to two years of learning (or up to three years if the course includes one year of relevant practical work experience)
you can apply for CDLs with Barclays, The Co-operative Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland
the interest on your loan is paid for you whilst you are learning and for one month after you’ve stopped training, and you repay the loan to the bank over an agreed period at a fixed rate of interest
Financial Support from your Employer

Many employers value a highly skilled workforce and fund specific training packages to enable you to do your job better.
 
Getting more support to help you move back into learning or work.
Most colleges, universities and adult learning providers give information about the help available and many have ‘College Support Funds’ to support learners with one-off costs for equipment or travel that is course related. Online information is also available from nextstep, Surrey County Council, Learndirect, Jobcentre Plus and Direct Gov.

Specialist information and help may be available for: Childcare, Lone Parents, Students with disabilities, those returning to work or working in the UK as foreign nationals, ex offenders or people coming off drugs.   

Support for Carers
One specialist organisation is Action for Carers and Employment.  If you have a caring responsibility, for a partner, child, friend or relative, and want to return to learning or work, ACE can help you make the arrangements and find an opportunity which is right for you and the person you are caring for.  ACE is based in Guildford, but their service covers the whole county,  For more information call  01483 565874 or email ace@actionforcarers.org.uk

Carers in receipt of carers allowance can also claim fee reductions with some adult learning providers.  Surrey County Council Adult and Community Learning are able to offer you 50% off adult learning courses if you receive this benefit.  Please contact ACE for more details.