Am I eligible for the Personal Learning Account?
Eligibility is tested at the point of application. The following individuals are eligible for the programme.
Individuals must:
- Live in Wales
- 19 years old or over (tested at point of course commencement)
In addition, individuals must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Employed (including agency, zero hour contracts, at risk of redundancy and offenders on day release), earning under £32,371
- Self-employed, earning under £32,371
- Full-time carer (inc. non-paid), earning under £32,371
Individuals are ineligible at the point of application if they are any of the following:
- Under the age of 19
- Attending school or college full-time as a pupil or student
- In full-time higher education
- In Welsh Government funded Work Based Learning
- An ineligible overseas national
- In receipt of an Assembly Learning Grant or Education Maintenance Allowance
- Unemployed i.e. does not have a contract of employment (unless meeting one of the approved criteria)
If your initial application form (Training Plan) is successful, we will contact you via email to request your supporting ID documents. For your supporting ID documents, you will need to provide clear, copies of approved documents listed below (a minimum of one document per group required) to evidence the information entered on your application forms. Please collate this information when submitting your application in preparation of receiving our email – If you are struggling to obtain one of the approved documents, please speak with a member of the team to discuss possible alternatives.
Group A Document
Evidence of full name and age
You will need to provide one of the following:
- Birth certificate (bearing full current name)
- Valid passport (UK and non-UK)
- Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country
- UK photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
- EU or EEA driving licence
Group B Document
Evidence of legal residency in Wales
You will need to provide one of the following:
- UK photocard driving licence, if not used for Group A
- Council tax bill / demand letter / exemption certificate issued within last 12 months
- Bank/building society or credit union statement issued within last 3 months
- Benefits entitlement letter issued within last 12 months
- HMRC tax notifications and correspondence issued within last 3 months
- Utility bill issued within last 3 months
- Tenancy agreement from local council or housing association issued within last 12 months
AND, for anyone not British or Irish citizens, one other document that will show:
- Pre-settled or settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme
- Indefinite leave to enter (ILE) or remain in the UK (ILR)
- Exemption from immigration control
- Approved visa
- Current family permit
- Asylum seeker or refugee status
Group C Document
Evidence of employment / carer status
If you are employed (including agency, zero hour, at risk of redundancy and prisoner on day release), you will need to provide one of the following:
- Payslips for the previous 3 months before application
- Last payslip if issued within the month prior to the application being submitted AND showing the year to date value
- If you are a prisoner on day release, you will also need to provide Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) – Resettlement Day Release (RDR) documentation
If you are a self-employed, you will need to provide all of the following:
- Proof of self-employment, e.g. UTR number
- Most current self-assessment Tax Return to HMRC
- Self-declaration saying your predicted personal income for the current financial year will not exceed threshold £32,371
If you are a full-time carer, you will need to provide one of the following (dated within last 12 months):
- Attendance Allowance Letter (AA)
- Carers’ Allowance Letter of Award
- Disability Living Allowance Letter (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Armed Forces Independence Payments (AFIP)
- Valid Blue Badge
