§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what(a) the number of grants paid out and (b) the average grant allocation given to individuals to obtain National Vocational Qualification level II was in each of the last five years. [45626]
§ Margaret HodgeThere is a range of support payments available to eligible students and trainees studying towards National Vocational Qualification Level 2, including: Education Maintenance Allowances paid to young people who stay on at school or college and available on a pilot basis in 30 per cent. of England; Access Funds paid to students in cases of hardship and also used to fund residential support for certain specified courses for which a young person needs to live away from home; Training Allowances for 16–24 year 897W olds in unwaged work based learning; and help with the childcare costs of those in learning. In addition, the Department provides significant funding to cover the tuition costs of the education and training provided to individuals.
It is not possible, however, to identify either the total number of NVQ Level 2 students helped or the average value of financial assistance received by individuals. Information held by the Department does not differentiate between those individuals studying towards NVQ Level 2 and those aiming for other types and levels of qualification.