| |  | Courses normally come free for 16-19 year olds (but you may need to pay for books and equipment) |
| | | You may be entitled to help towards travel costs depending on where you live and where you study |
| | | If your annual household income is less than £30,800 you should qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) of £10, £20 or £30 per week. Find out more at www.direct.gov.uk/ema or ring the hotline on 080 810 16 2 19 |
| | | Extra financial help may be available if you come from a low-income background. Ask your school or college about Learner Support Funds |
| | | You may be able to claim a lodgings allowance if you need to live away from home during the week |
| | | Financial help is available for certain dance and drama courses and residential courses in other parts of the country |
| | | If you need money for child care you might get help through Care to Learn. Contact the Care to Learn helpline on 0845 600 2809 for further information or see www.direct.gov.uk/caretolearn |
| | | Information about all of the above can be found at www.direct.gov.uk |
| | | For more help talk to your school, college, Connexions personal adviser or Somerset Direct Children's Team (0845 3459122) |
| | | You will be paid a weekly sum if you are employed as an apprentice |
| | | This will either be an agreed rate for the job or a special apprenticeship wage. It may increase as you get older and pass different stages of your apprenticeship |
| | | Minimum wage regulations do not apply to all stages of your apprenticeship. This depends on age and how far you have got |
| | | If you are training with an organisation - but are not employed by it - you might be entitled to an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). This includes training through e2e and programme-led pathways (PLPs) |
| | | For more about basic pay and allowances see the minimum wage section |
| | | Your training (for NVQs and similar qualifications) should come free. You may need to pay for books and equipment |
| | | You may be entitled to help towards travel costs depending on where you live, work or train |
| | | You may be able to claim a lodgings allowance if you need to live away from home during the week |
| | | Extra financial help may be available if you come from a low-income background |
| | | Talk to your Connexions personal adviser - or employment & training adviser - if you have any worries about your pay when doing an apprenticeship or training |
| | | Transport problems often cause people to drop out of education, employment or training. Getting things sorted out before you start makes a lot of sense |
| | | Ask these questions as part of your planning: can I get there? when would I have to leave? when would I get back? how much would it cost? |
| | | College and sixth form students, e2e trainees and some apprentices may be entitled to some help towards transport costs |
| | | Students may be entitled to cheaper transport than normal (but this will depend on where you live, where you study and what you study) |
| | | If you have to pay you’ll be given a pass for the whole term. This is called a County Ticket. The cost of this will be much less than paying normal fares every day |
| | | Many colleges and schools run special bus services to help get you to where you study. Ask about these services when you apply to do the course |
| | | Special transport may be available if you have additional needs |
| | | If you’re worried about using buses you might be able to get help and encouragement from a “bus buddy”. Talk to your Connexions personal adviser about this |
| | | Having your own transport helps in rural areas where bus services are not so frequent. The Somerset Moped Loan Scheme is designed to help in this way and has benefited many young people in the last few years |
| | | The scheme applies to young people who live in Somerset rural communities of less than 3,000 people. It enables you to borrow a moped to get to school, college or work |
| | | Find out more from the Somerset Rural Youth Project on 01278 722100 or www.sryp.org.uk |
