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Adult Training For Work
Courses are for adults aged 19 year or over. These qualifications are usually part time to fit around current commitments and to help you retrain, pick up new skills or progress in your chosen career. Many courses are FREE as they are 100% government funded via the Adult Education Budget.
Professional, certified qualifications in a range of subjects to help you achieve your career goals. These cover various sectors and industries such as Accounting, Counselling or Teacher Training.
If English is not your first language we have a range of ESOL/EFL courses to suit all levels. Need to enhance your English and Maths skills? From Basic Skills to GCSE, we can support you with these essential life skills.
Simply click on the relevant course page to apply or book your assessment, if you are an individual.
Students 19 and Over
If a student is aged 19 or over on 31 August in the year they start a course they will be required to pay tuition fees. There are a range of financial support options available on the right hand side of this page. In addition there may be a fee remission on government funded courses such as full time in the following circumstances:
- Learners aged between 19-23 who are studying for their first full Level 2 qualification
- Learners aged between 19-23 who are studying for their first full Level 3 qualification
- 19-23 year-old learners where they have an entitlement to a full Level 2 qualification, in that they have previously attained Level 1, but need a step up from basic skills in order to progress to a full Level 2. This does not include learners enrolling on ESOL qualifications.
- 19-23 year-old Level 4 ‘jumpers’ studying their first full Level 4 qualification without having attained a first full Level 3 qualification.
Learners in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), including their partner where there is a joint claim. This does not apply to learners aged 24+ studying a Level 3 course or above. - Learners in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) in the Work-Related Activity Group but not those learners aged 24+ studying a Level 3 course or above.
- Learners who are unemployed and in receipt of a means-tested state benefit, and who are undertaking learning aims that will help them into work or remove a barrier to getting them into work. They should be actively seeking or preparing for work. This does not apply to learners aged 24+ studying a Level 3 course or above.
- Learners studying aims that are Adult Basic Skills Certificates.
- Learners studying aims that are Functional Skills in English and Mathematics, excluding Adult Basic Skills Certificates in ESOL, new stand-alone English and Mathematics QCF qualifications).
- An individual who has not reached GCSE grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics who are undertaking GCSE English and Mathematics.
- An individual (Armed Forces personnel, not civilian) studying their first full Level 3 qualification who has left the British Armed Forces – this can be up to 10 years after leaving the Armed Forces – having completed basic training and four or more years of service, or who has been medically discharged due to an injury in active service.
Adult Training For Work
South Thames College offers a variety of short courses aimed at adult learners who want to increase their career opportunities or simply broaden their knowledge in a particular subject - or even take that first step into a new area that has always interested them.
These courses are for adults aged 19 year or over. These qualifications are usually part time to fit around your current life commitments and to help you retrain, pick up new skills or progress in your chosen career.
We offer professional, certified qualifications in a range of subjects to help you achieve your career goals. These cover various sectors and industries such as Accounting, Counselling or Teacher Training. To apply for a professional qualification courses simply click on the apply link on the course page.
Adult Community Courses
Learners may be able to get a discount on some of our adult courses if they are receiving income-based benefit or on a low income.
To get a discounted course fee, learners who are enrolling online need to upload evidence to the online enrolment system. They will need to provide proof of benefits or income. Proof of benefit status needs to be from the last two months.
Please note learners may still have to pay a materials fee on some courses.
Further fee information below:
- Merton Council employees receive 15% for non-accredited, community learning courses based in Merton only (excludes Tooting and South Thames sites).
- Employed learners who earn less than £27,007.50 annual gross salary and live in London receive 50% discount
- Employed learners who earn less than £25,000 annual gross salary (and live outside of London) receive 50% discount
- Unemployed learners who are looking for work and in receipt of certain benefits receive 50% discount
- Benefits include Job Seekers Allowance; Employment Support Allowance; Universal Credit, or other state benefits with an earned income (disregarding benefits) of less then £892 a month (sole claim) or £1437 a month (joint claim)
Adult learners will also be able to receive 50% discount on fees for courses ending in ML and 100% discount for Remission Cert courses (MAE).
Instalment Plan 24-25
Course fees that are £500 or over can be paid in two instalments*
- First payment (50%) to be made at enrolment
- Second payment (50%) to be made on 31 January 2025
Course fees that are £1,200 and over can be paid in three instalments*
- First payment (33.3%) to be made at enrolment
- Second payment (33.3%) to be made on 31 January 2025
- Third payment (33.3%) to be made on 30 April 2025
*Instalment plan available for courses with a duration of more than three months
Careers, Information, Advice & Guidance - category description
Our Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance Service offers a client-centred, confidential, impartial and accessible service, delivered by professionally qualified staff. We serve clients of all ages and meets the needs of our learners. All the advice, guidance and help that we offer is available not only to current students but also to students who attended our Colleges up to twelve months ago.
How we can help?
- Career Planning
Advice to help you make those vital decisions about steps to take on the road to where you deserve to be. Whether that is guidance on which courses you might take or alternative for those who want to make a change, we can give you all the help and information you may need.
To assist you in making important decisions about future careers and what subjects, courses and training you can do to reach your career destination, when you join the College as a student you will have access to Kudos an online careers programme.
- UCAS
- Jobs/Employability
- Apprenticeships
- Volunteering and Gap Years
- Parents and Carers
- Careers Programme and Policy
Apprenticeships
An Apprenticeship is where an individual is employed in a real job by a company, while studying for a formal qualification at college. They will have a contract of employment, get paid a salary and be entitled to all the statutory benefits such as holiday and sick pay. Anyone living in England over the age of 16 and not in full-time education can apply.
Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of industries. Some of our most popular Apprenticeships include business & administration, engineering, construction and plumbing and electrical. Over the years we have worked with large and well known employers such as National Trust, Halifax and Wimbledon Tennis. We are proud to have some of the highest apprenticeship success rates of any College Group around.
For more information, please email us on apprenticeships@stcg.ac.uk
Multiply
Multiply is a Government initiative investing in adult numeracy provision in England to help people progress and secure great jobs. The Mayor’s London Multiply programme will support thousands of Londoners with no or low numeracy qualifications to access essential numeracy skills training for free.
South Thames Colleges Group is currently offering Multiply as a bolt-on courses for existing learners and is now opening up the free numeracy offer to all those eligible. Multiply offers adults who do not already have a GCSE grade C/4 or higher in Maths and who would like to improve their numeracy, free flexible courses that fit around their lives.
Numeracy confidence and skills are crucial for life and work, including to: better manage everyday finances; help children with their homework; progress into further learning; climb the career ladder, and access good jobs. For employers, we can offer bespoke courses focusing on the key numeracy skill employees need in particular workplaces and can send lecturers to deliver on-site if need be. For those looking to attend one of our College sites, we will be offering taught classes across the Group (at Merton, Kingston, Tooting and Wandsworth). We will also offer online opportunities where this fits best. The aim is to make sure that there is something available for everyone who wants to develop their numeracy confidence and skills
If you are interested in our Multiply offer, please fill out the form below, If you would like more info email the Programme Co-Ordinator, using the following address: yuanyuan.ding@stcg.ac.uk