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Education Maintenance Allowance Extension to E2E
and PLP Learners Presented by Greg Burke/Trevor
Fellowes January/February 2006
Welcome
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Speakers

• Trevor Fellowes, Director of Learner Support, LSC
• Greg Burke, Head of EMA Unit, LSC
• Jeff Learman, Assessment and Payment Body

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EMA Background, Basics and Context
01
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Where does EMA fit in?

• Supports Government aims to improve skills and
  promote social inclusion
• Supports Government targets
• improve Apprenticeship Framework completions by
  75 per cent by 2008
• boost number of 16-19 year olds staying on in
  education
• reduce number of young people that are NEET
• Level 2 at 19 Public Service Agreement (PSA)
  and
• Increase progression to Higher Education
• EMA means that money is not a barrier to learning
  and progression

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Helping disadvantaged young people

• LSC now jointly responsible for reducing size of
  NEET group by 2 per cent points by 2010
• EMA offers financial support to those that need
  it most - young people from low income households
• In the pilots EMA increased participation of
  those NEET by 2.4 per cent
• Learners are staying on who might otherwise have
  dropped out

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And.
EMA will help boost participation and is a tool
to help you meet your targets
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The story so far

• EMA was piloted across 56 areas 132,000 young
  people participated
• Participation increased by 5.9 per cent
  projected national impact, 4 per cent
• 297,000 people got EMA in Year 1
• Anecdotal evidence suggests EMA is having a
  positive impact on attainment/achievement
  priority is to quantify

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What is EMA?

• Payment to encourage young people from low income
  families to stay in post-16 learning
• Income assessed payment of 10, 20 or 30 per
  week for households with income up to 30,810 pa
• Something for something agreement, with
  payments to reward attendance
• Periodic bonuses for achieving positive results

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Who is eligible?

• 16-19 year olds from households with income up to
  30,810 (tax year 2005-06)
• In full-time education in school or FE college,
  or (from April) LSC-funded E2E or PLP and
• Satisfy EMA residency criteria

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About the Extension
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Why extend EMA?

• To address hardship. Treasurys 16-19 Financial
  Review recommended extension across age group
• To increase participation and UK competitiveness.
  Participation is low amongst young people from
  poorer households
• To create a level playing field of financial
  support across schools/colleges and E2E/PLP
  provision and between education and training
• Help learners choose the most appropriate form of
  learning

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Why extend EMA?

• Ensure learners families get additional
  benefits, for example, Child Tax Credit, Child
  Benefit
• Maximum weekly value of complete support package
  to 90 versus 40 under Minimum Training
  Allowance (MTA)
• As with current EMA, young people from better off
  households will not get EMA but will now attract
  Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit
• Individual learners on Income Support will
  receive up to 74.50 per week

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What does this mean for young people?

• Minimum Training Allowance (MTA) will cease for
  new starters on 9 April 2006
• From 10 April 2006, starters on LSC-funded E2E or
  PLP with learning providers can apply for EMA
• Learners starting before 10 April will receive
  MTA until end of course or December 2006,
  whichever is earlier
• Payments will be income assessed maximum payment
  30 per week

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What does this mean for young people?

• Young people must have or must open a bank
  account
• One application covers Education and Training and
  valid for a year
• Travel continues to be funded as part of
  work-based learning budget
• Currently trying to secure funds for other
  hardship for 2006/07

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What does this mean for you?

• Young people will seek information, advice and
  support from a range of partners
• All will need an understanding of criteria and
  application process for EMA
• Some will need extra support, particularly with
  household documentation
• Important that young people who are independent
  seek Income Support (and otherwise engage with
  Agencies)

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Marketing EMA

• TV advertising
• three waves in February/March, May/June and
  August
• Leaflets and posters will be available to support
  TV advertising
• National PR (from January)
• EMA ambassadors
• tabloid-friendly news and feature stories
• Ongoing programme of internal, partner and
  stakeholder communications including potential
  future events

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How will it work?

• Application
• Notice of Entitlement (NoE) sent to young person
• Young person uses NoE to enrol with provider
• No payment until NoE cashed in
• Provider makes payment decision
• APB makes payment directly into young persons
  bank account

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Bonuses

• Flexible approach to PLP/E2E bonuses for learners
• 4 bonuses
• 1 x 25 for agreeing learning agreement,
• 2 x 25 for achieving learning goals,
• 1 x 50 for E2E who progress to Apprenticeship,
  FE or a job or
• 1 x 50 for PLP who progress to employer-led
  Apprenticeships
• Learners are rewarded with bonuses for continued
  commitment and development

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Key themes
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Application process

• Learning providers will support learners
• Connexions and partners working with young people
  should also help raise awareness and offer
  support
• Recognise the importance of working with schools
  and parents to ensure smooth application process
  plans being developed
• This afternoons workshop is designed to help
  face-to-face staff with process

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Bank accounts

• Encourage people to set up bank account before
  their course begins to give them a head start
• Research shows approximately two-thirds of
  current E2E/PLP learners already have a bank
  account
• Work with your local partnership and bank
  managers to help those with difficulties

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Countdown to April 2006
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What do you need to do?

• Assess how closely your organisation needs to be
  involved with EMA
• Visit www.direct.gov.uk/ema for tools that will
  help
• Frontline staff should familiarise themselves
  with EMA application form and process
• Pass on information from today to your colleagues
• Contact your local EMA Coordinator/local LSC

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Support and help

• Email the EMA team at emaextension_at_lsc.gov.uk or
  contact the EMA coordinator at your local LSC
• Latest issue of EMA Extension Update can be
  downloaded from the Reading Room at
  www.lsc.gov.uk
• Visit www.directgov.uk/ema for more information
• Practitioners Aide Memoir draft in delegate
  packs. We would welcome your views (see
  evaluation sheet)
• APB helplines
• Young person/parent helpline 080 810 16219
• Partner enquiries 0800 056 2811

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LSC-P-NAT-060053
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The Assessment and Payment Body (APB)
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Overview of roleKey delivery partner of LSC
nuts and bolts

• Provide application packs to young people (other
  routes also available)
• Receive and assess completed forms
• Manage the on-line payment website (EMASYS)
• Train providers in use of EMASYS
• Provide helpline support to young people and to
  learning providers and partners

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Scale of operation

• Operating out of 2 business centres Coventry and
  Darlington
• At peak periods
• - 24 hour, 3 shifts
• - 500 staff
• Five-day typical turnaround on a complete and
  correct form

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Story so far

• 297,000 successful applications processed in
  Year 1 (2004/05)
• 8.3 million yes payments processed in 2004/05
• Over 1 million calls handled by helplines in
  2004/05
• 434,475 Notices of Entitlement (NoEs) issued so
  far in Year 2 (2005/06)

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Application and Assessment
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YP parents/carers send form
Pre-assessment
All evidence enclosed?
NO, form returned
YES
Scan and assessment
Age / income eligible?
NO, app. rejected
YES
EMA number created
NoE and EMA Contract issued to YP
Provider uses Contract to input EMA number to
EMASYS
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Application Form Income and bank account evidence

• Income
• Tax Credit Award Notice
• P60
• SA302 (self employment)
• Benefit Statement (part C of the form)
• Bank account
• Official bank letter (eg. Confirmation of account
  opening)
• Statement
• Completed bank pro forma from Guidance notes

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Application Form Turnaround

• Good takeup, despite income assessment
  requirement
• Improved correctness rate during Year 1
• Where forms need to be returned
• Income proofs not supplied
• Invalid income proofs
• Invalid bank details
• Missing mandatory fields
• Form not signed

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Supporting young people

• Customer focused assessment process
• errors with forms
• incomplete evidence
• picking up a phone, rather than relying on
  letters
• Young person and parent/carer helpline
• trained in working with NEET young people
• Currently in development
• Application process support pack
• - to inform partners supporting young people and
  their parents / carers and help reduce incorrect
  / incomplete forms

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How you can help us

• Encourage young people to apply
• Help them understand the process
• Engage parents / carers to support
• Provide specific support with application form
  and supporting income proofs
• Offer to check completed forms
• Support young people in contacting the helpline

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LSC-P-NAT-060053