Whiteside Hill Education and Training Fund

About this fund

This fund provides bursaries to residents of the Kirkconnel & Kelloholm and Royal Burgh of Sanquhar and District Community Council areas to help them access training and education opportunities that better equip them with the range of skills needed to enter or retain employment. The fund is provided by Whiteside Hill Wind Farm Community Fund

The maximum award is:

• First time applicants: up to £1,500
• Second time applicants: up to £1,000
• Any further applications: up to £300 per year.

Similarly, if your course runs over several years, any award will be capped at:

• First year of study: up to £1,500 
• Second year of study: up to £1,000 
• Any further year of study: up to £300 per year

Purpose of this fund

The Whiteside Hill Education & Training Fund is to improve the opportunities and livelihoods of people living in Kirkconnel & Kelloholm and Sanquhar & District. Courses leading to formal or recognised qualifications will be favoured. However, other courses will be considered where you can demonstrate how the skills and knowledge gained will realistically support you in securing or retaining work. As well as course costs, subsistence, childcare and equipment required to access your educational opportunity can be requested, however as the purpose of these would be to facilitate learning, requests would be expected to be proportional to the length and impact of the course. 

Courses supported can be on a full time or part-time basis and may be: Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships, Foundation Apprenticeships, SVQs, NCs, HNCs, HNDs, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate qualifications (excl. PhDs), short vocational courses and other courses that meet the fund purpose. 

Additional criteria

Awards can cover costs that are directly related to attending your course or apprenticeship, including:

• Course fees, where these costs cannot be waived or funded through any other means
• Study aids and equipment (e.g., laptops, software, stationery). A cap of £500 will normally be applied for support towards the purchase of laptops to support course studies unless you can demonstrate a genuine educational need for IT equipment of a higher spec.
• Technical aids/equipment e.g., specialist clothing relating to the course, tools, other specialist equipment.
• Travel and subsistence costs e.g., bus, train or petrol, meals etc.
• Accommodation costs 
• Childcare costs to allow you to study
• Driving lessons and driving theory test can be funded where it is not possible to access your course by public transport, or if you have a firm offer of a new or enhanced job opportunity that would require you to learn. A key purpose of the Whiteside Hill Wind Farm Community Fund is to support projects that bring economic benefits to Upper Nithsdale, and as part of this, there is a strong preference to support activities that utilise local suppliers. On this basis "Crash Course" driving lessons are not considered a fit with the programme. A cap of £500 will normally be applied for support towards driving lessons.

You must provide information on the full costs that you need to meet in relation to the course. For example, if you are a first-time applicant taking a week-long course that costs £400, you will only be able to apply for £400 plus related travel & subsistence. And if you receive funding from elsewhere, for example, £100 towards the course fees, you will only be able to apply for £300.

Study location:
We recognise that the fund area has limited further education opportunities. However any course being undertaken locally will be looked upon more favourably than a course that requires you to leave the area. By local, we would generally mean south and central Scotland.

If you are applying for costs linked with an apprenticeship arrangement you must be employed within the fund area. 

Who can apply?

• The fund is open to individuals aged 16 or over and living in the Kirkconnel & Kelloholm or the Royal Burgh of Sanquhar and District Community Council areas. 
• Your application must be for the purpose of increasing your employment potential. 
• Apprentices can apply for costs that cannot be claimed back from their employer or another source.
• Students attending secondary school but also college for part of their week are eligible to apply for a bursary. However, the Trustees will only be able to consider costs that are not covered by statutory provision, i.e. through the school, the college, or the local authority. 

What can’t be funded?

• You cannot apply for funding for any costs incurred before a decision can be made on your application (retrospective funding). 
• We will not fund training or equipment that your employer should be providing for you or that is necessary for you to carry out your current job. 
• Apprentices cannot apply for any cost that can be claimed back from their employer or another source. 

How are decisions made?

Foundation Scotland will review your application and may contact you for further information.  It is then passed to a community board of Trustees of the Upper Nithsdale Community Trust who advise on all funding decisions.  The result will be sent to you by email.