Personal Learning Account (PLA)
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Are you aged over 19 and living in Wales and earning under £35,796 a year or Less? If so, you may be eligible for a fully funded Personal Learning Account.
What is PLA Funding?
A Personal Learning Account offers FREE courses that give you new skills and qualifications – ones that local employers are looking for – to help you take advantage of skills shortages and get your career really moving.
It will enable you to gain the skills and qualifications you need to change careers or progress in your current job. Your study will take place either online, face-to-face, or a combination of both.
Personal Learning Accounts provide flexible courses and qualifications, which are fully funded by the Welsh Government.
Did you know?
If you are under formal notice of redundancy, or have have been made unemployed in the past 6 months, you can also access fully funded courses using the Welsh Governments ReAct+ training programme.
Who is eligible?
Support under the Personal Learning Account (PLA) scheme is available for individuals who:
- Live in Wales
- Be aged 19 years old or over
In addition, you must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Be employed (including agency or zero-hour contracts) or
- Self-employed or
- A full-time carer, paid or non-paid (where there is capacity on existing courses)
AND your annual basic salary does NOT go over £35,796.
You won’t be eligible if, when you apply, you are:
- Under the age of 19, or
- Attending further or higher education on a full-time basis, or
- In Welsh Government-funded Work-Based Learning, or
- An ineligible overseas national, or
- In receipt of an Assembly Learning Grant or Education Maintenance Allowance, or
- Unemployed (that you do not have a contract of employment)
Do you earn over £35,796?
You can receive a fully-funded course via the PLA Digital funding scheme or PLA TATA , as these have no salary caps!
How do I apply?
Contact Us and we will put you in contact with one of our PLA Funding training advisers to discuss your preferred courses in greater detail and outline your next steps. If you are, then we will be happy to proceed. We will help arrange the funding for you and be on hand to answer any questions or queries you may have.
Contact Us
Speak to one of our PLA funding training advisers today. Contact us by phone or email to arrange an appointment.
PLA Funding FAQ’s
The main difference between PLA Funding and PLA Digital Funding is that they are two separate funding streams. The key requirement for PLA Funding is a salary cap: you must earn £35,796 or less to be eligible. For PLA Digital Funding, the salary cap does not apply, meaning you can earn any amount and still qualify.
Learners should refer to our table of courses to check whether a particular course falls under PLA or PLA Digital funding. This will help confirm the eligibility criteria and next steps.
Yes, you can complete multiple courses with PLA Digital funding. The key thing to remember is that you can only take one course at a time. Once you finish your current course, you can apply again for another course. That way, you can build up your skills step-by-step.
Learners can’t apply for a combined Foundation and Practitioner course under PLA. Instead, you’ll need to apply for the Foundation course first. Once you’ve successfully completed it, you can reapply for the Practitioner course. Each course must be done separately under the PLA funding.
No, your employer can’t apply on your behalf. A Personal Learning Account application is submitted on an individual basis, so the learner themselves needs to complete the funding application, not the employer.
No, learners won’t be eligible if they live outside of Wales, because the funding is provided by the Welsh Government and is only available to Welsh residents.
Yes, you can apply as long as you live in Wales and have a Welsh address, even if your job is in England. The funding depends on where you live, not where you work.
Have a question about PLA funding?
Get in contact with us. We’re here to help.