Lone parents can apply for grants from £500 to £1000 between the submission period of 1st to 31st July. The grants are part of the Horizons programme, which is designed to help equip lone parents with the training and support to re-enter the labour market. Successful applicants will be notified by the 31st August following an assessment of needs by Family Action.
The educational grants will be made available through Family Action, which administers the education element of the Horizons programme - with Citizens Advice giving the money support, Gingerbread providing the employment support and One Parent Families Scotland providing employment and money support in Scotland. To date Barclaycard has invested over £7 million in the entire Horizons programme helping over 450,000 lone parents and their children through the employment, money and education support.
The grants will cover a range of funding needs for lone parents. This means grants are not only available for course fees but also for expenses such as childcare, books and transport. Studies of past recipients for the scheme, which has run since 2005, have shown that 94% of parents would have been unable to begin or complete a course without such funding, and 97% believed the grant had improved their employment prospects.
Alan Ainsworth, head of public and community affairs, Barclaycard, said: "Lone parents have many plates to balance and we know that finding time, let alone the money, for training for a new job can be tough. We're proud that through our Barclaycard Horizons programme we can provide this funding and help make such a difference to families across the UK."
Helen Dent, chief executive of Family Action, said: "In such a difficult financial and employment climate, where welfare reforms are increasing the pressure to move into work, lone parents need financial support and creative solutions to overcome such barriers to learning and training as course costs, travel, childcare costs and costs for equipment. That's why the Barclaycard Horizons Your Education programme is so innovative."
"With financial support from us lone parents can gain a qualification meaning they have greater chance of getting a job with prospects. At a time when funding is being cut elsewhere, we're delighted to be working with Barclaycard to help ensure lone parents and their children have a brighter and more secure future."
