WIREDGOV

Financial support for part-time students is to be extended to help more learners develop their skills, retrain and improve job prospects during these tough economic times.

For the first time funding for postgraduate students, currently limited to those on full-time courses, will be extended to up to 150 part-time students on a pilot basis during session 2009-10.

This will cover funding for course fees and be targeted on a pilot group of institutions and a small number of subject areas, linked to the Scottish Government's economic priority sectors, including energy, life sciences, tourism, food and drink industries, financial and business services, creative industries and education.

To help widen the choice of learning on offer and help students improve future career prospects the Scottish Government is also extending the availability of Individual Learning Account (ILA) funding for part-time students.

The ILA500 Scheme, which currently offers grants of up to £500 a year to part-time higher education students, will be made available for learners on a broader range of courses.

The ILA200 scheme, which offers grants of up to £200 a year to those undertaking shorter part-time courses from basic skills to advanced study, will be available to students on a wider range of local and community-based courses.

Speaking ahead of the annual Part-Time Forum Conference, a national event involving the key organisations and professionals engaged in part-time study, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop said:

"The Scottish Government recognises the financial pressures faced by learners during the current economic climate. We also understand the importance of ensuring people strengthen their existing skills or are supported to obtain new skills, to get into work or back into work and contribute to Scotland's future economic success.

"The measures I have announced today will benefit part-time students at all levels, ranging from those who need help with work-based literacy and numeracy skills to those undertaking part-time evening classes to improve their job prospects to those undertaking post-graduate courses in key subjects which will benefit our economy and assist with its recovery.

"This builds on the £38 million package of measures we have already introduced for part-time students in higher education in the summer, providing for the first time, grants of £500 to help up to 20,000 students each year - ending their reliance on student loans."

Professor Jim Love, Deputy Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said:

"The university welcomes the Cabinet Secretary's announcement that a pilot project to fund part-time postgraduate students will be in place in the next academic year.

"The funding will enable more graduates to accelerate their careers or move in new directions, as well as creating more highly-trained professionals who will make a significant contribution to businesses, industry and the economy in Scotland and further afield.

"We believe it is vital to work closely with employers to develop innovative and industry-focused courses that provide students with the skills they need. Today's announcement will lead to more students having the opportunity to retrain, or further their careers."

Peter Syme, Director of the Open University in Scotland, said:

"Individuals and companies faced with the need to reskill and upskill in the current economic climate deserve all the support we can give them. For those in work, part-time learning offers the best option to upgrade their qualifications and gain new ones, and the ILA £500 scheme is already proving its worth for those eligible.

"We welcome both the enhanced support available through ILA and the planned extension of support for postgraduates to bring in part-time learners. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners to make the new opportunities a reality."

Further details of the subject areas to be covered in the extended support for postgraduate students will be announced shortly when institutions are invited to bid for pilot participation.

Scotland is unique in the UK in providing discretionary grant-based support for postgraduate study, through the Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme (PSAS). This supports Scottish and EU students and is currently restricted to full-time courses. Later this year, the Scottish Government will set out proposals for long-term improvements to current taught postgraduate funding arrangements, which we expect to implement in the academic session 2010-11. Ahead of those wider changes, targeted pilot activity will be undertaken during session 2009-10, within the current PSAS framework, which for the first time will extend postgraduate grants to part-time students. The Scottish Government is currently finalising its proposals on the subject areas and HEIs to be covered by the pilot and further details on the scheme will be announced shortly.

The part-time grant (ILA500) was introduced in July 2008, benefitting up to 20,000 students a year. This £38 million package of support provides funding of up to £500 a year towards the fee costs of HE courses, with funding targeted on students with an individual annual income of £18,000 a year or less, who must be undertaking at least 50 per cent of a full-time HE course.

ILA200 grants have been available since 2004 but refined a number of times since then to widen the reach and increase the scheme's impact. Most recently, during the Parliamentary session 2008-09, a number of policy changes were made to better align these with the aims of the Scottish Government's Skills Strategy. This included extending ILA200 funding to work-related learning and to adult literacies and numeracy provision delivered in conjunction with employers.

In the context of planning for and supporting the Government's Economic Recovery Programme, the Scottish Government has been examining a range of options to provide further flexibility in accessing ILA funding. The measures outlined today can be implemented under existing powers of Ministerial direction and do not require any legislative changes.

Related Information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/economic-situation