Home / Wales boosts cost-of-living support for young people in education or training
Wales boosts cost-of-living support for young people in education or training
EB News: 24/08/2023 - 10:43
The Welsh government has announced an increase in support for young people in education or training.
The minister for education and Welsh language has announced a 6.5 per cent increase to the Financial Contingency Fund for 2023 to 2024. The fund provides financial support for eligible learners at further education colleges and can be spent on childcare costs, transport, meals, equipment and learning materials.
The Education Maintenance Allowance grant was increased from £30 to £40 a week in April. The grant is available for further education students studying at sixth form or college in Wales, to help with FE costs such as transport or meals.
The minister also highlighted other help that is available to learners, including apprenticeships, Young Person's Guarantee, help with transport costs, free school meals and free Welsh lessons.
School food improvement programme Nourish is set to launch in Cumberland in 2026, working with schools to improve the quality and culture of food throughout the school day
A creative careers programme which aims to inspire young people to explore careers across the creative industries has reached 210,000 young people since 2023.
The government is inviting EdTech companies and AI labs to develop AI tutoring tools, in collaboration with teachers, to ensure they support classroom practice.