Financial Support

DON'T FORGET the FREE Our Pass!

This gives you the freedom to travel around Greater Manchester, at any time you wish. This is notsupplied by the College and you should visit the Our Pass website to apply online. More information is available here (https://ourpass.co.uk/guide/exclusives/).

FREE CSCS card for construction students which is essential for working on construction sites.

COLLEGE PERKS & DISCOUNTS

Bolton College offers:

• Free sports and recreational activities at lunchtimes and after College
• Savings on food in our canteen, coffee shop and restaurant
• Discounted rates at The Academy, our on-site hair & beauty salon
• Subsidised trips and visits
• Discounted membership fees for our on-site Fitness Suite

Additionally, if you’re 16 or over and on a study programme, you can sign up for a TOTUM Card at www.totum.com

TOTUM is the #1 student discount card and app giving you access to exclusive student discounts and deals in store and online at places like cinemas, shops, days out and eating out.

College Perks & Discounts

Bolton College offers:

• Free sports and recreational activities at lunchtimes and after College
• Savings on food in our canteen, coffee shop and restaurant
• Discounted rates at The Academy, our on-site hair & beauty salon
• Subsidised trips and visits
• Discounted membership fees for our on-site Fitness Suite

Additionally, if you’re 16 or over and on a study programme, you can sign up for a TOTUM Card at www.totum.com

TOTUM is the #1 student discount card and app giving you access to exclusive student discounts and deals in store and online at places like cinemas, shops, days out and eating out.

Bursaries

Financial Support is available for some 16-18 students coming to College. The EMA scheme is no longer operational in England. Payments are made directly into Student Bank Accounts so it is advisable to ensure you have an account open before you apply – your bank account name must match the name in which you are enrolled at college.

There are two types of bursary:

1. The Student Support Allowance which is available to young people aged 16-18 on 31^stAugust who are:

• A young person in care or care leaver; or
• A young person receiving Universal Credit in their own right because they are financially supporting themselves, or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them such as a child or partner
  • A young person receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments in their own right as well as receiving Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right

What will I receive on this bursary?

• A weekly payment, based on your financial needs, to help with the costs of coming to college. This will paid into your bank account weekly in arrears, based on your attendance
• The costs of essential equipment will be refunded to you
• £5.00 per day towards your food costs for each day you attend College via your College ID Badge, to be spent in the College’s on-site catering outlets

Payment is based on full attendance at College.

2. The Discretionary Bursary and Free College Meals funds are used to provide financial support to eligible students to help towards transport, essential equipment required for the course (see below), and help with the costs of meals. These Funds are administered by the College, are means tested and you may qualify if you are aged 16-18 and come from a home where the family household income is no more than £35,000 per year.

What will I get on this bursary?

• The costs of essential equipment will be refunded to you.
• If you live in Greater Manchester and travel to College by bus, we recommend that you order an “Our Pass” card, which entitles you to free bus travel within Greater Manchester
• If you cannot obtain an Our Pass as you are aged 18, you'll receive help with the cost of your travel if you travel more than 1 mile from your home to the College Campus
• If you live outside Greater Manchester, we'll agree with you the cost of your travel to College and contribute to this by paying money directly into your bank account in arrears.
• Receive a weekly payment to help with the costs of coming to college, paid into your bank account, worth up to £360 over the year
• £5.00 per day towards your food costs for each day you attend College via your College ID Badge, to be spent in the College’s on-site catering outlets

Payment is based on full attendance at College.

Equipment Support

Please check with the teaching staff if you are taking a Course such as Beauty Therapy, Catering, Hairdressing, Construction, Public Services, or Motor Vehicle, as there will probably be equipment or clothing required. Please make sure to answer yes to the Essential Equipment question when you apply.

You are NOT eligible for Bursary funding if:

• you are studying on a waged Apprenticeship or Higher Education course
• you have been released on temporary license from prison or young offender institution

CHILDCARE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS AGED 16 TO 19

If you are young parent aged 16 to 19 years old on 31st August, and you need childcare to enable you to attend College, you may be eligible for Childcare Support with 100% of your childcare costs through the Care to Learn scheme.

For more information you will need to visit the Gov.uk website here: Care to Learn - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Eligible Trades

What we mean by ‘Someone who Works in the Grocer Industry’:

-          The grocery industry includes anyone who works for a supermarket (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA), wholesaler (Cash and Carry), manufacturer, supplier, convenience store, independent grocer, petrol forecourt store or service provider to the grocery industry (stores also include Poundland, greengrocers and Farm Shops – if over 50% of their turnover is groceries).

-          We also support businesses in the foodservice wholesale sector

What we mean by ‘Someone who Works in a Community Pharmacy or who Works as a Registered Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician':

Any one that work in a community pharmacy. This includes the following: 

-          Pharmacist – Who is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), who sells or dispenses medicines directly to the public.

-          Pharmacy Technician – Who prepare and dispense prescriptions under the supervision of a pharmacist and are also registered with the GPhC.

-          Pharmacy Dispenser – Who supports a registered Pharmacist with the preparation and dispensing of prescription medications

-          Pharmacy Assistant – Who updates patient files, helps answer customer questions, and assisting customers with purchasing their prescriptions.

-          Counter Assistant – Who offer information and advice to customers and re-stock shelves and keep displays clean and tidy.

-          All GPhC registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who work in any setting.

What we mean by ‘Commercial Traveller’:

-          A commercial traveller is the representative, agent or principal of any manufacturer, industrial or commercial firm or company, or wholesale dealers selling to industry or commerce, but not direct to the public;

-         Who works in the UK and has travelled for 5 consecutive years and for a total of at least 6 months in each of those years, for the purposes of securing orders and/or promoting business.

 Eligible Students

Students must meet the following criteria below:

• Student age: Age 16 and above including adults 
• Level: Level 2 or above substantial vocational courses at Bolton College
• Course Type: Students undertaking a substantial Level 2, 3 or 4 vocational course of 6 or more taught hours per week and 24 weeks or more. Students studying only academic courses will not be eligible to apply.  Distance learning courses are not eligible.
• Amount of bursary: Up to £1,000 pa per student for duration of course
• Income criteria: Students with a household income of £30,000 or less
• Residency:  Must be resident in the United Kingdom

Financial Need

In order to be eligible, students must have a household income of £30,000 or less pa. Our application form will ask both the student and their eligible parent/spouse to confirm their household income and what benefits their household receives. This information will be cross checked by Bolton College who check the student’s financial details when they apply for a college bursary. If the student has not applied for a college bursary and therefore have not submitted their financial information to the college, the college will conduct separate financial checks on that student to confirm if the information they have provided the Trust is correct. We may also offer bursaries to students whose household income is higher than £30,000 if they are in exceptional financial need. These will be assessed on an individual basis by the LTCT, and then the financial details will be cross checked by Bolton College.

In order to apply for financial assistance, please use the link below

Please note that although the College may undertake some administrative functions to support LTCT with this scheme, we are not responsible for any decisions in relation to the allocation or use of funds.

How to Apply

Students can apply online by following this link directly where they will need to register as a new user:  https://grants.leverhulme-trade.org.uk/Login