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Funding

If you’re fully active in the Armed Forces and would like to begin some training or gain some useful qualifications while still enlisted – either to enhance your prospects while serving or with a long-term view to what kind of career you might eventually like to move into when you leave – here’s what’s available:

If you’re in, or about to enter, your resettlement period and considering the training and qualifications that will benefit your return to civilian life, here’s what’s available:

If you’ve already left the Armed Forces there are still sources of funding you can draw on to enable you to enrol in training or gain the qualifications you need. Here’s what’s available:

ELC

Useful contacts

Need to know more? Here’s who can help …

ELCIRTC

Using learning credits with individual resettlement training costs

The MoD has optimised funding for Service leavers so they can use learning credits during resettlement with their individual resettlement training costs (IRTC) grant to pay towards the cost of eligible learning activities.

ELCLoans

Ringing the changes for a new year

For many people, the start of a new year is an exciting time as they think about what the coming year will bring (and work through their new year’s resolutions). For others it’s a less exciting time. Nevertheless, it is a chance to take stock, think about things that could make life better and to look forward to the coming year …

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ELC dos and don’ts

A simple guide to the common mistakes and how to avoid them.

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It’s never too late!

The Princess Royal, Patron of the Institute of Learning and Work, recently said that adult education is good for people’s health, self-esteem and employability. A report by the funding body for higher education in England says graduates are more likely to feel satisfied with their life, be happier and feel more worthwhile than non-graduates. Good reasons to think about going back to education. Find out how an Access to HE qualification could help …

ELCLoans

Taking stock, broadening horizons

The Access to Higher Education (Access to HE) Diploma – regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) – is a widely recognised qualification that provides a second chance for adults who left school without the qualifications needed to enter higher education. If that’s you, read on …

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Boost your prospects while serving

How your ELC can benefit both you and your Service

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No longer serving?

How to claim your ELC if you have left the Service.

Loans

Professional and Career Development Loans are designed to help people change direction or increase their skills by providing a deferred repayment loan

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Take charge of your transition

How can you approach your resettlement and transition journey in a successful and positive way? ‘The best and most practical advice I can offer is this: ask for help,’ says Ahmed Al-Nahhas, head of the military team at London-based law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp. And he’s here with some sound advice on how to do just that.

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Learning for life Making learning work for you

Speaking at the World Education Conference in January 2019, the English Education Minister, Damian Hinds MP, [1] said: ‘It’s not only that a good education helps you find skilled, rewarding work. It’s that everyone should have a chance to discover the joy that comes through learning.’ Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma students know from personal experience the joy of learning and the important role it plays in their personal development.

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Disabled? Open up to free study

The Open University (OU) recently launched the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund, offering 50 disabled Veterans, injured in, or due to, military service, access to free OU education. In addition to free study, applicants will be offered further specialist careers and disability support. If this is something that could benefit you, read on …

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£250 PRIZE WINNER! Master of his own destiny

Keeping an eye to his future civilian career helped former Royal Signals Captain Mark Stanbury make some wise course choices. ‘I have two master’s degrees thanks to ELC and Army Education Services,’ he says. And he can now add another achievement to his list: he’s this quarter’s Quest £250 prize winner!

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ELC 101: The basics

Subject to certain eligibility criteria, the ELC scheme offers currently serving or former Service personnel access to a first full level 3 or a first higher education qualification free from tuition fees.

IRTC

Individual Resettlement Training Cost (IRTC)

The IRTC grant exists to help towards the cost of resettlement training through the CTP or external training providers.

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£250 PRIZE WINNER! On course for success

… that’s Anthony Clarke, our first Quest quarterly £250 prize winner. Thanks to his already impressive haul of qualifications he stands out as a shining example of how to use all the educational opportunities available to you while serving in order to prepare for a successful second career on leaving. Here’s his story so far …

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How to use your ELC funding

When your claim’s approved, there’s a big choice of what to spend your funding on

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Standard Learning Credits

The SLC scheme allows personnel to obtain financial assistance for learning costs

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Are you eligible for ELC?

Take a look at the eligibility rules to find out …

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Aim higher!

Higher education at a college or university is about more than just degree courses – it offers a range of options, including Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNCs and HNDs), and foundation degrees, all of which generally have a more vocational slant. So, if you’re ready to step up to the next level, HE could be the option for you.

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£250 PRIZE WINNER! Author of his own success

… that’s Steve Higgs, our latest Quest quarterly £250 prize winner, who has put to excellent use the courses and funding available to him during and since his time in uniform. His pursuit of higher-level qualifications got him noticed while serving – and, now he’s left, his dedication to self-enhancement is still giving back, seeing him secure a high-ranking role at a top-flight engineering firm while also finding success as a published novelist alongside his day job. Steve tells us his story so far …

ELC

Life-changing opportunities through lifelong learning

York St John University has been a leading education, training and research institution for 177 years. Equality, ambition and social justice are at the heart of the University’s ethos and this is reflected in its reputation for academic excellence, graduate employability and strong sense of community.

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Hands-on higher education success

Barney Polden graduated from the College of Osteopaths in 2017 with a first-class degree and was nominated by the College for the Institute of Osteopathy’s (iO) Rising Star award. Here’s Barney’s back story …

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Learn for life and make learning work for you

When you ask young children what they want to be when they grow up they are often very clear: ‘I’m going to be an astronaut … a princess … a doctor.’ Not all of us can realise our childhood dreams, but for some they do come true. Find out how QAA-recognised Access to HE qualifications have helped others follow their dreams and change their lives – many of whom thought higher education wasn’t really for them

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Find a new place to belong

Higher education is not for everyone, but it could be your route through transition. Access to HE qualifications have already been the stepping stone to new careers for many members of the Forces family. Find out how the Access to Higher Education Diploma changed the lives of Mark, Tommy and Susan …

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HE’s apprenticeship revolution

Apprenticeships are at the forefront of a huge change in the world of higher education – it is now possible to be an apprentice at all levels of learning, right up to master’s

ELCLoans

Looking for a new start?

Follow your dream with an Access to HE Diploma

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Think you’re not qualified for a healthcare career? Think again!

There are almost 410 Access to HE courses in health-related subjects and more than 200 specifically designed for progression to a degree in nursing. Each year, around 50% of Access to HE students study Diplomas in health, public services and care. Could you join them?

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The Access to Higher Education Diploma

Opportunities and challenges for students with a Services background

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ELC: Avoiding queries or rejection

Almost 20% of claims fail to comply with the correct procedures, here's how to help things to run smoothly.

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Get ahead … get AHED

The Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is designed for adults and is taken by people of all ages and backgrounds – it’s a nationally recognised qualification for people who left school with few qualifications and now want to go to higher education, with many looking to transition to a new career

Sponsorship

You may be able to access sponsorship through schemes set up to benefit Service leavers, such as that run by X-Forces

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ELC: Making an application

Your step-by-step guide to claiming your ELC funding

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New year, new possibilities

A new year often brings the chance to think about our potential. With that in mind, find out how the Access to Higher Education Diploma opens up study opportunities for those with a Services background …

Latest Opportunities

Training See all

The National Extension College | Distance Learning

NEC has a long and successful history of helping forces personnel to develop their careers. With flexible start and finish times, distance learning is ideal for people serving in the armed forces. Your course is available 24/7 and you can access it wherever you are and whenever you like. You study at your own pace and fit your learning in around the rest of your life.

International

The College of Osteopaths | Health Care and Nursing

Have you ever thought about working in healthcare? Have you ever considered osteopathy?

Greater London, West Midlands

Univeristy See all

University of Wales Trinity Saint David | Business Studies

UWTSD offers a wide range of degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. We pride ourselves on our excellent links with industry with many courses delivering dual awards.

Wales

Edinburgh Business School | Accountancy & Book Keeping

Edinburgh Business School is the Graduate School of Business of Heriot-Watt University. We have been delivering postgraduate management education to our students for over 25 years.

International