Low-income parents to receive help with training

12:30 14th May 2009

Parents on low incomes are to benefit from a new scheme that will help pay for childcare while they are on IT training courses or studying other subjects.

If they are earning less than £20,000 a year, parents will qualify for the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work, which will use a £75 million fund from the Learning Skills Council to provide the scheme and allow parents more opportunities to seek better employment or a career change.

Tim Yeandle, director of student services and marketing at Somerset College, a childcare provider approved by Ofsted that is taking part in the scheme, said that the intention is to boost confidence in adults who may be struggling to find a job.

Mr Yeandle said: "The concept of worklessness is both de-motivating and it's very difficult for adults in that frame of mind to actually make the first move into education because of certain barriers - childcare is one of those barriers."

He added that introducing financial help to assist parents overcome that barrier is "a major step forward".

The new scheme will benefit 50,000 low-income parents with children under the age of 14, according to the Learning and Skills Council.