Applications Now Being Accepted For Education Maintenance Allowance For The New Academic Year
5th June 2021
All eligible young people are being encouraged to apply for a weekly, term time allowance of £30 per week from August 2021.
The Highland Council administers Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in respect of eligible young people from across its 29 secondary schools. Colleges administer this scheme for their students.
During 2020/21, around 725 young people across Highland secondary schools benefited from a total of £720,000 from this allowance, which provides an incentive for young people aged 16-19 from lower income families to continue with their post-16 education, either in school or college. Eligibility for the scheme is based upon the total taxable household income for 2020/21:
up to £24,421 taxable income for households with 1 dependant child.
up to £26,884 taxable income for households with 2 or more dependant children.
This weekly term time allowance is paid directly into the young person's bank account and does not affect the child benefit or other benefits being paid to their parents or carers. Applications are now being accepted for the 2021/22 academic year from Highland school pupils in post-16 education.
Further information about Education Maintenance Allowance, including full eligibility criteria, is available on The Highland Council's website - HERE
Chair of the Education Committee, Cllr John Finlayson said: "Every year, many of our young people benefit from this payment as it puts money in their pockets and supports their access to education and learning pathways. I am encouraging all young people from across The Highland Council area who are eligible to apply, to do so as quickly as possible. This will ensure they do not miss out on £30.00 every week, during each of the school terms, from August."
The Council's Welfare Support Team can complete the online application form with the young person and in the wider context, can support all eligible households to apply for benefits and other entitlements.
The Welfare Support Team can be contacted by telephoning 0800 090 1004 or emailing welfare.support@highland.gov.uk
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate. The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate.
Following the success of its Business Digital Grant scheme launched last year, The Highland Council is delighted to announce further funding. This is to help Highland companies access digital support alongside other business growth support.
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen. The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation. The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme. Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan. The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.
Members at today's (14 March 2024) meeting of The Highland Council agreed the local authority's new draft Community Wealth Building Strategy. They were also asked to note that a period of public engagement on the draft will now begin, with a final strategy returning to full Council for consideration in September.
Plans to invest up to £60m new Capital in Highland roads and infrastructure have been approved by Members at the Council meeting on 14 March 2024. The decision will see an additional £40m Capital investment in roads and transport infrastructure.
