Barclaycard announces additional £100k in educational grants

More lone parents are set to benefit as Barclaycard announces £100,000 in additional funding for educational grants, as part of the award winning Horizons programme, to help lone parents with education and training to get back to work. The funding builds on the original £150,000 commitment made earlier this year for which over 140 educational and training grants were awarded to help lone parents get back to work.

Lone parents can apply for grants from £500 to £1,000 between the 3rd October and 3rd November. Successful applicants will be notified by the 31st December 2011.

The educational grants are available through Family Action, who administers the education element of the Horizons programme. Horizons also supports lone parents with free help and advice on money matters, which is delivered by Citizens Advice as well as advice on preparing for work, which is delivered by Gingerbread. In Scotland both elements are delivered by One Parent Families Scotland. To date, Barclaycard has invested over £7 million in the entire Horizons programme guiding over 470,000 lone parents and their children through the employment, money and education support.

The grants will cover a range of funding needs for lone parents. This means grants are not only available for course fees but also for expenses such as childcare, books and transport.  Studies of past recipients for the scheme, which has run since 2005, show that 94% of parents would have been unable to begin or complete a course without such funding, and 97% believed the grant had improved their employment prospects.

Alan Ainsworth, Head of Public and Community Affairs, Barclaycard: "Lone parents have many plates to spin and we know that finding time, let alone the money, for training for a new job can be tough. The additional funding outlines our long-term commitment to helping lone parents back into work and we're proud that our Barclaycard Horizons programme help make such a difference to families across the UK.  By working with Citizens Advice, Family Action, Gingerbread and OPFS we know that these funds will be used to make the greatest possible difference to the emotional and financial hardship that many lone parents and their children face."

Helen Dent CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action said: "We're delighted that Barclaycard are investing more to help lone parents and their children get a better future. Our research shows that lone parents are finding creative solutions to barriers to learning and training but they need financial support to overcome these barriers which can include course costs, travel and childcare costs and costs for equipment. That's why the Barclaycard Horizons Your Education programme is so innovative and so important. With financial support from us they can gain a qualification meaning they have greater chance of getting a job with prospects. At a time when funding is being cut elsewhere, working with Barclaycard to deliver the Horizons Your Education programme enables us to help ensure lone parents and their children have a brighter and more secure future."

For further information, visit yourhorizons.com.