Funding Opportunities

 

General Information

The schemes listed below are relevant to funding part-time modules in microelectronics at postgraduate level.   If you know of a scheme that is not listed here, or you notice something that should be corrected, please let us know.  At the moment all the schemes listed are restricted to residents of the European Union.  If you live outside the EU and can advise us of sources of funding that apply in your country, we would be particularly pleased to hear from you.  Please email us on ami@bolton.ac.uk
 

 Type of Scheme Company  Individual
"Train to Gain" Key Worker
x
 
CEESI Bursaries
x
x
Panasonic Trust Grants  
x
IET Postgraduate Scholarships and Awards  
x
Career Development Loans  
x
Engineering Professional Development Awards
x
 
National Training Awards
x
x
Learning and Skills Council
x
x


Employer Paying

Training costs can be offset against taxable profits, so effectively decreasing the cost of training by 21% for smaller companies and 31% for most large companies. The rates of corporation tax in the UK from April 99 have been:
 

Profit Taxed at
Up to £300 K  21%
Between £300K and £1.5M  Sliding Scale
Above £1.5M  31%

Paying for Self

Sadly this section is a series of negatives, but at least the contents may save you time.  Apart from  the national schemes listed lower down this page, notably the Panasonic Trust,  the only positive advice we can offer is to find out what local schemes (if any) apply in your area. The local library and the local office of the Learning and Skills Council may be able to give you advice.

Government Schemes
Until 2002 the main assistance for part-time courses operated by the UK Government was Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs).  However, higher education courses were specifically excluded from the ILA incentives, except for people living in Scotland.  The scheme was suspended for England and Wales from December 2001 and was suspended in Scotland in 2004.

Benefits for students in higher education such as childcare grants, access bursaries and hardship funds are all restricted to people attending full time,  defined as studying towards 90 credits or more in one year.

Any schemes operated by the Local Education Authorities (LEAs) apply only to undergraduate courses and therefore the LEAs are unable to help. The Government web page for support for students in Higher Education  is  www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/   This page includes links to information for students resident in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Tax Relief not available
Unlike the situation for companies, tax relief cannot be claimed on fees for any course paid by private individuals. 

 

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Train to Gain

When it was launched in 2006, Train to Gain was limited to developing skills up to Level 2, equivalent to 5 GCSEs. In November 2007 the scheme was expanded in a number of ways, one of which concerns SMEs (companies with 10 to 249 employees). For SMEs the scheme now covers management training and also skills required by key workers in support of business need. Crucially, the extension is not limitied to any particular academic level, so funding in support of part time degree and modules or qualifications at postgraduate level is now possible for the first time. This represents a significant shift of policy by central government as it recognises there is a skills shortage at higher level as well as other levels. Funds of up to £1,000 are available for skills development and up to £500 for coaching per person. All applications for "Train to Gain" involve assessment by an independent training broker; employer are expected to make a contribution but it does not need to be in cash.

In the electronics sector the contract for assessing training needs has been awarded to the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA). To book a visit by the regional skills broker for SEMTA, download the pre-visit questionnaire, complete the form and fax it to SEMTA. Download (23KB, pdf).

Strictly speaking this scheme is only applicable to England. However, a spokesperson for SEMTA said companies in other regions of the UK should be encouraged to apply using the same form because it was likely alternative equivalent funding would be made available. SEMTA is lobbying to have the scheme extended to cover all companies (irrespective of size) throughout the UK.

Train to Gain is a service from the Learning and Skills Council. The equivalent bodies in other regions of the UK are mentioned lower down this page under LSC.

 

Links for Further reading

SEMTA May 2008 Press release

Train to Gain Home page

Train to Gain Nov 07 Press release

 

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CEESI Bursaries

Optional supplementary tutorial classes are being considered for the AMI modules that have been adopted by the CEESI scheme.  Attendance will not be compulsory and an additional fee will be charged for those who choose to make use of them.   If you live in the UK and are paying your own fees or work for an SME, then you are likely to be eligible for a CEESI bursary which will cover most of the cost of the additional fee (but not the cost of accommodation).

Contact

For further details, please refer to the CEESI website,   www.ceesi.ac.uk.
To apply, contact the CEESI Office.

 

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Panasonic Trust Grants

This scheme supports students on part-time MSc courses and is operated by the Royal Academy of Engineering on behalf of the Panasonic Trust.  The level of funding offered is up to 50% of the course fees. In the case of courses lasting more than 12 months, awards are made with respect to fees for the first year only. A subsequent application for an award to cover the cost of the next year's fees is welcome providing the university's requirements to proceed to that stage have been attained and the Trust has received satisfactory interim progress reports from both the course tutor and the applicant.

The application procedure is straightforward and does not involve an interview. In addition to a completed application form, students must submit a current CV and supporting letters from their employer and the course tutor. The Panasonic Trust Awards is a rolling programme. Applications may be made at any time, but always before commencement of the stage of the course for which the applicant is seeking funding. Students will be notified as to the outcome of their applications as soon as possible.  An online application form is available at the Royal Academy of Engineering.  Click first on "Awards/schemes"  then   "Research and Education Schemes",  then "a professional engineer seeking career development", then scroll up to The Panasonic Trust Awards.

"The Trust selects only candidates and courses which it feels will make a valuable input and are leaders in their individual relevant field. In candidates and courses alike quality, enthusiasm, determination and clearly targeted objectives are sought. The course must be a leading example in its field, strongly led and effectively resourced".

Quote from a recent edition of Panasonic Trust News

Eligibility

Applicants should be UK citizens, have membership of an engineering institution (at any grade) and have worked at a professional level for several years.

Contact

Ian Bowbrick, The Royal Academy of Engineering,
29 Great Peter Street, Westminster, LONDON, SW1P 3LW
Telephone: 0171 222 2688   Fax: 0171 233 0054
E-mail: bowbricki@raeng.co.uk

 

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IET Postgraduate Scholarships and Awards

The Institution of Engineering and Technology administers a number of scholarships for postgraduate progammes of study.  The closing date for applications is 20 April, apart from one award for which it is 30 December. Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible. The relevant IET pages are linked from here.

Contact

Mrs. L J Searle, Head of Section, Scholarships and Prizes
The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL
Telephone: 0171 240 1871 ext. 2211/2235
Fax: 0171 497 3609
Email   scholarships@theiet.org

 

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Career Development Loans

These loans are designed to help individuals looking to change career, or needing expensive training in an existing job. Any amount up to £8,000 may be borrowed to cover up to 80% of course fees and other expenses provided no alternative funds are available. If you have been out of work for three months or longer immediately prior to making your CDL application, you may be able to apply for up to 100% of course fees.

For the duration of the course (up to three years) no repayment is required and interest on the loan is paid by the Department for Education and Skills.  The repayment arrangements are negotiated with the bank and should start within a month of completion of the course. (In the case of those registering as unemployed, the period is extended to six months). The three participating banks are Barclays, Co-operative and Royal Bank of Scotland, but it is not necessary to bank with any of them beforehand.

Contact

An information pack and application form is available on request by calling 0800 585 505. Alternatively write to Career Development Loans, FREEPOST, Newcastle upon Tyne X, NE85 1BR.

For full details online, go to www.lsc.gov.uk and follow the route for Adult learners. Alternatively, go direct to this page: Career Development Loan page

Each of the banks also has their own CDL page:

Barclays Bank

Co-operative Bank

Royal Bank of Scotland

 

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Engineering Professional Development Awards

This scheme offers financial support for training programmes that aim to update or extend the knowledge and skills of engineers.  Programmes may include part time courses on technology or management, foreign languages, short term secondments, participation in conferences and to a limited extent the purchase of  learning materials.

The scheme is administered by the Royal Academy of Engineering.    Awards of between £2,000 and £10,000 are made to companies or consortia submitting programmes involving between three and fifteen engineers. Companies wishing to involve fewer than three engineers are still eligible but should consult the Academy first.  In addition, annual prizes of £1,000 are offered to the three most innovative training programmes.   Further information and online application forms for the company and participants are to be found on the website, as above.  Click first on "Awards/schemes"  then   "Research and Education Schemes",  then "a professional engineer seeking career development", then scroll up to The Engineering Professional Development Awards.

Eligibility
UK companies in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, irrespective of size, but with preference being given to small and medium sized firms or small units of larger companies.  Applicants should be UK citizens holding responsible positions.

Contact
The Education Affairs Department,  The Royal Academy of Engineering,
29 Great Peter Street, Westminster, LONDON, SW1P 3LW
Telephone: 0171 222 2688 Fax: 0171 233 0054

 

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National Training Awards

The Awards are made annually and aim to: identify excellence in training development and practice. demonstrate the link between effective investment in training and improved business performance. encourage greater personal commitment by individuals to self development.Awards are made in the following categories: Employers. Training providers. Joint entry of employers or of employer and training provider. Individuals or small teams taking the initiative for their own training and personal development for the benefit of others.Judges will be looking for exceptionally effective training, with clear evidence that the training is meeting identified objectives.  (It is not necessary for the training to have been completed).

Approximately 100 national and 250 regional awards are made annually, together with a number of special awards on topics chosen for that year.  Entry forms are available in March each year and the closing date is the middle of  May. The awards are open to any UK company or resident.

Contact
For details, please refer to:   www.nationaltrainingawards.com

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Learning and Skills Council

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for people over 16 in England.  Contact details for the 47 local offices (local arms) are to be found at the website.   In Wales the equivalent is the National Council for Education and Training for Wales.   In Scotland it is part of Education and Training  and in Ireland it is the Department for Employment and Learning.

In many cases the key to obtaining help towards fees is to contact the local office responsible for your place of work.  Each office has a certain amount of freedom in setting priorities for its locality so if your work falls across a boundary, it can be worth contacting both offices.

It is unlikely that any LSC local office will commit itself to giving support for more than one year. One attraction of the online electronics courses to funding providers is that there is the potential for a qualification at the end of each year.  A successful first year can lead to a Postgraduate Certificate, the second year to a Postgraduate Diploma, and the final year leads to an MSc. 

If your company has committed to Investors in People  financial assistance towards training may have been included.  Sometimes training vouchers are issued for the trainee and, (as a further incentive to train) for others from the company on subsequent courses.

If the company is classed as a small to medium size enterprise (SME), this may make it eligible for European Funding for training.  The EU definition of an SME is a company having fewer than 250 employees and less than 20% ownership by a larger company.

If the area qualifies for assistance from the European Social Fund and a recent bid for funds has been successful,  then high level skills training, such as that provided by the postgraduate courses, should be a suitable outcome, so funds should be available to help.

Train to Gain is a service of the Learning and Skills Council. Details are provided further up this page.

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Last updated 11.06.08 RA