Education Maintenance Allowance available for eligible 16-19 year olds
An Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) provides financial support to eligible young people aged 16 to 19 years who choose to stay in education from August 2021.
Young people who qualify for the allowance will sign an EMA Learning Agreement with their school or college and receive £30 a week paid directly into a bank account. The agreement clearly sets out what needs to be achieved in terms of attendance, coursework and progress towards set goals. Young people on an Activity Agreement placement may also be eligible for an EMA.
Councillor Jacqui Todd, Cabinet Member for Housing, Welfare and Poverty said: “The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a real help to our young people who choose to stay in education or who are on an Activity Agreement placement. The agreement they sign with their school or college is straightforward and it is there to help our young people reach their full potential.
“Please don’t miss out on this opportunity. All the information you need and the application form are on our website and if you have any questions, you can email the EMA team who will be happy to help you.”
To qualify for the allowance young people on a non-advanced further education course at school or college must be born between 1 March 2002 and 28 February 2006. Households with one dependent child should have an income of £24,421 or below and households with two or more dependent children should have an income of £26,884 or below.
Applications for young people born between 1 March 2002 and 30 September 2005 should be submitted by Thursday 30 September. If an application is received after this date and is successful, the EMA will only be paid from the date the application is received.
Applications for young people born between 1 October 2005 and 28 February 2006 should be submitted by Monday 28 February 2022. If an application is received after this date and is successful, the EMA will only be paid from the date the application is received.
The cut-off date for applications for the 2021/22 academic year is Thursday 31 March 2022.
For more information, please mail the EMA team at ema@east-ayrshire.gov.uk or visit https://www.mygov.scot/ema