Westmorland and Furness Council has announced an improved grant that will support young people in the region realise their full potential by overcoming challenges in getting to training and education.
Thanks to the 16-19 Education Travel Bursary programme, young people will be helped to pay for their transport to and from education and training opportunities, which removes one of the biggest barriers to them realising their full potential. Investment can be contributed to the costs of travelling by any means, including:
- Bus
- Train
- Taxi
- Car (fuel costs)
- Bicycle
Building on previous grants, this year’s allocation has been improved to increase fuel cost contributions to 13p per mile (up from 11p per mile), and a £300 increase in the support the learners can receive to buy a bicycle.
This news comes on GCSE results day, when learners around the country are finding out how successful they have been in their exams, and what the next step of their education or training will look like.
Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Skills, Cllr Sue Sanders, said:
"The results young people get today will determine how and where they continue their education or training and this scheme will go a long way to easing that journey into post-16 learning and ensuring that they can base their decisions on what is best for them, and not what they or their families can afford.
"I urge anybody who thinks they might be eligible to get their application in quickly so we can get this support to them as soon as we can."
The grants are not means-tested, and last year saw almost £300,000 being given to students for their travel costs. Alongside this, investment helped two college transport schemes whilst supporting learners to get A-Level, AAT, BTEC and degree qualifications amongst others.
Councillor Neil Hughes, Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services, added:
"Improving infrastructure and connectivity throughout Westmorland and Furness is one of our key objectives and we are delighted to be able to continue this scheme, which will support young people travelling by bus, train, taxis, fuel costs for private transport or even bicycle."
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