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£1200 cash boost for Newcastle College student support

Newcastle College has re-affirmed its commitment to investing in learning by launching an extensive support scheme for young people which includes £1200 cash over two years.

This week the college announced a financial support scheme for 2012/13 which will offer thousands of 16-18 full time FE students a package of benefits to help with their studies.

The scheme includes the Newcastle College Maintenance Allowance (NCMA), which was introduced in September 2011 by the college to replace the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). NCMA was branded ‘the most comprehensive student support scheme yet’ by the Times Education Supplement and provided essential support to around 2400 students last year, who may not have been able to continue their studies otherwise.

The college has pledged to continue this support in 2012/13, guaranteeing all eligible students £1200 over the duration of their two year course. As courses for 16-18 year olds are also free, this means that all of the money can be spent on essentials such as travel, books and other costs associated with learning.

The number of learners who receive NCMA is not capped and will be available to current and new students as well as those transferring from other sixth forms or colleges who meet the criteria. This means that support is available for students who need it most and removes the financial barriers to learning experienced by more and more students in the current economic climate.

The college also offers a Discretionary Learner Support Fund and Care to Learn scheme, which provides help with childcare costs.

In addition, learners will also be able to benefit from discounted travel, course equipment costs, student union membership, free WIFI, sports and social clubs and heavily discounted gym membership. Students within Newcastle Sixth Form College will also have access to a comprehensive reward scheme, which offers a wide range of incentives and discounts.

Carole Kitching, Deputy Principal ofNewcastleCollege, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer one of the most comprehensive packages of support to young people across the region. There is no doubt that this financial support provides real benefits and in many cases is an essential factor determining whether or not a young person chooses to continue with their education.

“As our courses are free for 16-18 year olds, all of this extra support goes straight into the learner’s pocket and can be used to cover essential costs associated with studying, such as travel, books and course equipment. Unlike some other college’s, the numbers of students that we will support is not capped so we will never turn away a student eligible for this support. We are fully committed to ensuring that all young people have equal access to high quality education, training and skills and I would urge anyone who thinks that they are eligible for support to talk to our experienced team or apply online and get the support that they are entitled to.”

Newcastle College will be holding an early enrolment event on Wednesday 4 July between 10am and 7pm. For more details on NCMA visit www.newcastlecollege.co.uk/NCMA or search for theNewcastleCollege facebook page.

Trainee Chef gets career back on the boil thanks to NCMA

Bobby Lee Smail, 17 from Houghton-le-Spring, is one Newcastle College student who would not have been able to continue with his studies without the support of NCMA.

Bobby, who is studying for a full time VRQ Level 2 Diploma in Professional Cookery, said: “I was so pleased when I found out that NCMA funding was available to me. It really was the deciding factor in my decision to go to college.

“My ambition is to become a chef and I knew that I needed to get professional qualifications to achieve this goal, but without financial support I don’t think I could have afforded to do the course I needed to do.

“I used the money I received to pay for my bus pass to get me to and from college. Transport costs are a big factor for many students and without this support I really would have struggled to find the money to get to college every day. In addition, because my course requires me to buy professional chefs whites and knives which can be really expensive, I also received additional money to buy equipment, which was a massive help.

“I think there are probably loads of young people in a similar position to me who think they can’t afford to take courses to help them get their dream job or get them where they want to be in life. But there is actually a lot of help available and I am really pleased to hear that the college is continuing to offer financial help to the students who really need it the most.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nichola Taylor .