Education, training & employment

Education

In Tameside we have very high aspirations for all our Care Leavers. The Virtual School and College in Tameside will be available to offer support to help you become successful in achieving your goals and ambitions. We are absolutely committed to ensuring you have access to all the support and opportunities you need to secure your future prosperity and well-being.

As corporate parents we aim to provide a bespoke offer to you as Care Leavers. If you are struggling to access education and training you will be supported through a full range of opportunities including work experience, study programmes, supported internships, traineeships, apprenticeships, and support to access further and higher education. We will ensure that as Care Leavers you can access a readily available pathway in line with your ability and aspirations.

We will provide opportunities for work experience, apprenticeships, and employment within the council. There are several teams that can provide advice and support around this. Your Social Worker or Personal Adviser will be able to support you to access the Hub on a Wednesday afternoon, where professionals from education, employment and training will be available to provide advice and support.

Personal Education Plans (PEP)

Whilst you are an eligible care leaver you will be supported to have a PEP completed. This is updated on a termly basis and will outline your aspirations and the support you will require to achieve this.

Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)

If you have an EHCP in place, this will continue to be reviewed at least annually to ensure that you are receiving the required support as outlined in your plan.  

Further education 

If you begin to live independently during your college course we can provide a tenancy top-up that will help with some of the additional costs that come with this. 

If you are at a local college you will be eligible for further education bursary payments if your college offers this. Your Personal Advisor can help you enquire about this with your college or sixth form. 

Higher education 

If you plan to attend or are attending university, we can help you with everything from understanding the process to paying your accommodation costs. We will keep in touch with you throughout and make sure that you have the support you need to complete your degree. Some of the things we can help with include:

• Paying for your university accommodation 
• Paying you a bursary of £2000. This is broken down into termly payments for the three years of your degree (see money section)
• Helping you with equipment for your course if this is needed 
• Planning your holiday accommodation 
• Including contingency plans in your pathway plan in case university is not for you
• Planning for when you finish university, including housing
• If you are on a staying put arrangement with your previous foster carers we can pay a retainer to them so you can return in the holidays
• Regular keeping in touch meetings to check in and make sure you’re okay
• Support to find employment when you finish university 

Postgraduate study 

If you intend to start postgraduate study before you turn 25 then get in touch with us and we will think with you about how we can support you to achieve this. This might be support with loan applications, funding accommodation or considering any reasonable requests for financial support. 

Equipment 

If you need laptops and other tech to enable you to complete courses, we can help to source or if needed fund technical equipment for your course should you need this. 

Further Education 16 -19 – bursaries for vulnerable groups 

You could get a bursary to help with education-related costs if you’re aged 16 to 19 and:

• studying at a publicly funded school or college in England - not a university
• on a training course, including unpaid work experience

Students in one or more of the groups below can apply for a bursary of up to £1,200.

You may be able to get a bursary if at least one of the following applies:

• you’re in or you recently left local authority care
• you get Income Support or Universal Credit because you’re financially supporting yourself
• you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in your name and either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit
• you get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in your name and either ESA or Universal Credit

The amount you may get depends on the costs you have and what you need for your course. This might include money for books, equipment or travel costs to school or college.

How to claim / When to apply

Apply to your school, college or training provider. Ask student services or your tutor to explain what you need to do.

You should apply once you know where you’ll study or train, so you’ll get your bursary as soon as possible. You might need to reapply for a bursary for each year of your course. Check with your provider.

Alongside the financial support that we can offer you, your Personal Adviser will also be able to support you to apply for a student loan, this will cover the cost of your tuition fees. You will be able to seek a maintenance loan which will support you with your accommodation fees and living costs. You will be expected to claim your maximum entitlement from Student Finance for tuition fees and a maintenance loan. UCAS have some helpful information about the support that is available for you Care Leavers | Applying To University | UCAS

Lots of universities also offer bursaries for Care Leavers. Your Personal Adviser will be able to support you to access this funding.  The following website can also provide you with information about what support universities offer to Care Leavers www.propel.org.uk

The Unite Foundation offers scholarships in partnership with 28 universities which include free university accommodation for the duration of your degree. Applications normally open in January and close at the end of June for each year of entry. Find out more, including which universities offer the scholarship, on their website. Talk to your Personal Adviser for more support.

We will provide somewhere for you to stay during university holidays if you are in full time Higher Education and your term time accommodation is not available.

As a former relevant Care Leaver in Higher Education, you may be provided with up to £250 per year towards books and equipment and additional help towards travel costs in term time. This will be based on a needs assessment and authorisation will be sought from the Head of Service.

When you graduate, we will provide a payment of up to £150 to cover the costs of your Gown and Cap.   

All entitlements are subject to change and remain discretionary.

Employment and Training

Seeking work and training 

Your Personal Advisor can support you to access the right support to find employment or training, purchase travel passes or clothing for interviews. They will also be there to encourage you, build your confidence and help you to develop some of the skills you will need for the workplace. Personal Advisors know a lot about the opportunities available to young people and will share these with you often. 

Young Person’s Drop in at ‘The Hub’  

The ‘Young Person’s Drop-in’ takes place every Wednesday at the People Place from 1pm – 4pm, representatives from Job Centre Plus, Positive Steps, YES, Groundworks, mental health and the Virtual School are there (amongst others) to provide information and support around Education, Employment and Training Opportunities.  

Youth Employment Scheme (YES) 

There are so many young people in Tameside who are enthusiastic and willing to learn but have not been given the chance to enter employment because they have no experience, few skills or cannot secure an interview. Tameside Council created Tameside YES to give Tameside young people a chance by supporting local residents aged 16-24 years of age and not in employment, education or training to access employment opportunities.

Tameside YES offers a minimum of 6 months paid employment with local businesses. Businesses offer both apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship vacancies to the scheme. This allows us to support you to come closer to securing a job by accessing training, gaining experience, valuable skills and qualifications. Further to 6 months employment through the scheme (and a minimum of 12 months for an apprenticeship), you will be able to seek employer references, and an employment history to add to your CV. This service provides you with experiences of the world of work and in many cases the opportunity to continue into permanent employment.