What courses are available through ReAct and PLA funding?

So, you have recently been made redundant, unemployed or you are working in an insecure job such as zero-hour contract or temping through an agency.  You want to upskill or acquire new skills and you know there is funding available if you live in Wales, but you are not sure what courses are available.  If any of the above apply to you then this post should be helpful.  In it we will look at the sort of courses that are available through both ReAct and Personal Learning Account funds.

ReAct Funding

ReAct funding can be split across multiple courses and only one application must be made per candidate.  All courses you wish to take (to max of £1500) will be entered onto this application and then sent to ReAct for approval.  This is slightly different to applying for PLA funding where you can only apply for one course at a time. 

Any training that will help you find new employment can be applied for through ReAct but will ultimately be subject to approval by the Welsh Government. The scope of courses available through both ReAct and PLA funding is considerably broad.  You could train to become a bricklayer or if you were more of a project management sort of person, you could train as a Scrum Master. 

NILC Training Bundles available for ReAct Funding

Specialising in IT and Project Management, NILC offer over 500 courses and certifications that qualify for ReAct funding. We also offer discounted training bundles which allow you to complete multiple courses through ReAct. 

ReAct funded courses available at NILC include but are not limited to:

1) Project and Programme Management

2) Microsoft Office Applications

3) Bookkeeping, Accounts and Payroll

4) ECDL Accredited IT Courses

5) Social Media and Digital Marketing Skills

6) IT Service Management

Personal Learning Account

Similarly to ReAct, you can study several courses through PLA funding, but as I said earlier, you can only apply for one course at a time.  You must complete the first course before you can apply for another.

PLA funded courses currently available at NILC

Currently, NILC offer the courses listed below through PLA funding, but we are increasing them all the time.  So, if you have a course in mind that you do not see on this list, please contact us and we can put the course forward for approval for you. 

• Agile Project Management Foundation & Practitioner
• Agile Project Management Foundation
• PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner
• PRINCE2 Foundation
• Introduction To Social Media
• Advanced Social Media
• Sage 50 Accounts Level 1
• Sage 50 Accounts Level 2
• Sage 50 Accounts Level 3
• Sage Payroll Level 1
• Sage Payroll Level 2
• Sage Payroll Level 3
• Microsoft Excel (Introduction, Intermediate and Advanced)
• Microsoft Word (Introduction, Intermediate and Advanced)
• ICDL/ECDL Level 1
• ICDL/ECDL Level 2
• ICDL/ECDL Level 3

Training in other sectors

Should you wish to pursue a career in sectors such as construction, engineering & manufacturing, health and safety, health and social care, or sports and fitness, you would be able to do your training at a college of your choice.  For a list of Welsh colleges participating in the scheme please see our post: ReAct Funding vs PLA Funding – What are the differences?

PLA funded courses available at colleges

Business Analysis	Construction
Engineering and Manufacturing	Health and Safety
Health and Social Care	IT and Networking
Law and Legal Practice	Project Management
Sport and Fitness	Cyber Security
Digital Marketing	Education
Financial Services	Microsoft Office

All courses available through either ReAct or PLA funding have been set up to address the shortage of skills within the IT, engineering and construction sectors.  More courses may be added in the future.

Prerequisites

It would depend on what course you were planning to take as to whether you would need any prerequisite skills or qualifications. If you wanted to become a bricklayer, you would not need any previous qualification.  If, however, you wanted to progress in the project management world and wanted to go for something like PRINCE2 Practitioner, the prerequisite would be PRINCE2 Foundation.  

Any questions you may have regarding your choice of training can be discussed during your pre-admission assessment with your Working Wales advisor. If you are interested in IT or Project Management related courses, however, you can contact us at NILC, and we will work with the college directly to process your application. 

As you can see, there are plenty of courses for you to choose from that are eligible for funding if you live in Wales.  All that remains for you to do is to discuss and choose which one is right for you. Whatever you may decide, we at NILC wish you all the best in your career progression.

For more help or information please contact Working Wales or speak to one of NILC’s advisers.