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What is the National Skills Fund?

Updated: 25.03.21

What is the National Skills Fund?

Following the Spending Review in November 2020, £375 million has been pledged to the National Skills Fund, with specifically £95 million additional funding for the new Level 3 Adult offer.

The Level 3 Adult offer is the perfect opportunity for anyone out of work and looking to expand their skill set, or for those potentially looking for a career change or with a desire to re-train.

Level 3 adult offer

As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee announced by the Prime Minister in September 2020, the Level 3 adult offer has been put into place to help more adults in the UK achieve their first level 3 qualification.

From April 2021, any adult in the UK aged 24 or over who is yet to achieve a level 3 qualification will be able to access a huge selection of fully-funded courses. The courses available will vary in length and content but will all support the development of skills required by adults to improve their career prospects.

As the level 3 adult offer has been designed to help support the career progression of UK adults, the qualifications on offer are available across a wide range of growth sectors, including:

  • childcare and early years
  • health and social care
  • engineering
  • building and construction
  • accounting, business and finance
  • leadership and management
  • and many more

Importantly all of the qualifications on offer address the current desired skills needed to help the economy recover meaning there is a high chance that there will be a large number of jobs available once you have completed your qualification.

Who is eligible?

The level 3 adult offer is available to any UK adult aged 24 or over who is looking to achieve their first full level 3 qualification; this is the equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or 2 full A Levels.

Any UK adult aged 19 to 23 will still be eligible for their first fully funded level 3 programme as had been the case previously.

If you have already achieved a level 3 qualification but are looking for further funding options visit https://www.sheffcol.ac.uk/student-life/financial-support to find out about of 19+ Advanced Learner Loans and University Level Support Fund.

Sign up for more information

We are currently in the process of finalising the courses included in our Level 3 Adult Offer but to stay up to date with any further updates, including application dates, open days, and information events please complete the following registration form http://eepurl.com/ht5ySr

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