Grants for students from low-income families on vocational courses

Support of up to £1,000 are available from Wiltshire Community Foundation

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 27th Aug 2024

A Wiltshire charity is offering support to young people studying vocational subjects.

Grants of up to £1,000 pounds are on offer to students from low-income backgrounds thanks to an initiative from Wiltshire Community Foundation (WCF).

People between 14 and 24 years old can apply if they're studying a vocational subject such as business, IT, childcare, cookery and animal care.

Only people living in Wiltshire or Swindon are eligible and their parents or guardians need to be receiving a means-tested benefit.

The grants can help towards various costs associated with the applicant’s chosen course, such as the costs of books, resources, equipment, study/field trips, IT software, and travel.

Wiltshire Community Foundation Grants Manager Nicola Hillier said: “We are delighted to be running our Vocational Grants programme for another academic year. As many young people collect their GCSE results this week, these grants allow us to support those from low-income households who wouldn’t usually have access to the same opportunities that most of us take for granted. They remove the barriers that often stand between ambition and achievement, enabling young people to pursue their chosen course and future careers with confidence.

“We understand that applying for a grant can be daunting, but our online application form is simple, and we’re here to support you throughout the process. The list of courses and use of the grant is by no means exhaustive, and we’d love to hear from anyone who isn’t sure whether their own needs could be covered by the grant so we can discuss it.

“We want this programme to be as inclusive as possible.”

The programme is currently open for applications, and grants will be considered in November 2024 and January 2025.

Applications can be made here. |newtab).

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