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After GCSEs, one of the most pressing matters on the mind of young people is earning some money to help make ends meet.
With this in mind, the Government introduced the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) to encourage young people from lower incomes stay on in education at school or College.
In 2004-2005, 297,000 people benefited from EMA and the programme has proven to be a great success. From April 2006, the Government extended the payment to 16-19 starters on LSC funded Entry to Employment (e2e) and Programme Led Pathways (PLP) to replace the existing Minimum Training Allowance.
The great news is that EMA does not affect a household's entitlement to other benefits or a learner's earnings from a part-time job.
Learners are paid a weekly allowance of £10, £20 or £30 a week depending on the household's income, which should not exceed £30,000 and the money is paid directly into a bank account which the learner must have. Annual reapplication for the benefit is also required.
Learners have to apply for EMA, submitting household income figures (Tax Credit award notices can evidence this.)
If the learner qualifies, a Notice of Entitlement (NoE) will be sent out explaining how much will be received each week. This must then be submitted to the Learning Provider to authorise payments. Once authorised, monies will be paid directly into the learner's bank account by the Assessment and Payment Body.
EMA is designed to produce results and is seen as a something for something agreement. Learners must agree and sign a learning agreement and attend all specified classes. If you do well on your course or learning programme, you could receive bonuses as well on top of your weekly allowance.
The LSC has commissioned research to better understand how the extension will affect e2e and PLP learners. HTP is committed to supporting learners in the applying for EMA.
For the academic year 2005/2006
If your household income is
| Up to £20,270 per year | You get £30 per week |
| £20,271 - £24,850 per year | You get £20 per week |
| £24,851 - £30,000 per year | You get £10 per week |