Home > Personal Learning Account
PERSONAL LEARNING ACCOUNT (PLA)
Introduction
Eligibility Checker
Courses
FAQ
Discover free* and flexible courses across a range of subject areas at Coleg Cambria designed to help you progress or change your career.
*If you’re over 19 years old and living in Wales, in employment earning under £30,596 a year, or your job is at risk, a Personal Learning Account (PLA) is a great way to access part-time study on specific courses.
What is a Personal Learning Account?
A PLA allows you to study flexible, part-time courses around your existing life and commitments. It enables you to obtain the skills and qualifications you need to switch careers and embark on a new pathway.
PLAs provide flexible and fully-funded learning, both online and face-to-face.
You’ll be able to get new skills and qualifications that local employers need to help you progress your current career or change it altogether.
All of the courses on offer are being funded by the Welsh Government. You can see the full list of PLA courses at Coleg Cambria below.
Talk to the team
For More Information Contact Us!
Are you eligible?
- Are you over the age of 19?
- Do you live in Wales?
- Are you employed and earning under £30,596 pa? Or is your job at risk?
If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you should be eligible for PLA funding and FREE courses.
What you need to do next?
Have the following documents ready
- Your Passport or Birth Certificate
- Driving Licence or Utility Bill
- Last 3 months payslips (or one payslip from each of the last three months if paid weekly)
- Non UK passport holders will also require BRP/EU Settlement.
Click on the Create your Personal Learning Account button on this page
You will be taken to our Personal Learning Account creation portal. Here you will need to create a profile/account with the College*.
*If you already have a Cambria log in from a previous application to the College, please use these details.
Once your have set up your profile/account with the College please:
- Complete ALL sections of application form
- Upload ALL required evidence
- Hit submit
After hitting submit, we will check your documents and a member of the Personal Learning Account team will be in touch with you within 7 days.
Incomplete Applications
- If evidence is not uploaded you will receive an email for 3 consecutive days as a reminder
- If no response is received after 3 emails your application will be closed and you will need to start the process of creating your account again.
Accounting
Beauty Services
CISCO
Construction
Digital Technologies
Education & Training
Engineering
Environmental
First Aid
Food Manufacturing
ICDL
Leadership & Management
NEBOSH & IOSH
NVQ
PLD (Digital)
Prince2 Practitoner
Prince2 Foundation
Social Media & Digital Marketing
Your eligibility will be checked when you apply. You must:
- Live in Wales
- Want to gain skills/qualifications in priority sectors
- Be 19 years old or over.
In addition you must meet the following criteria:
- Be employed (including self-employed), earning under the median income (£30,596), or
- A worker on a zero hour contract, or
- Agency staff, or
- At risk of being made redundant, or
- Offenders on day release, or
- Full-time carers
People are ineligible (at the point of application) if they are:
- Under the age of 19; or
- attending school or college full-time as a pupil or student; or
- in full-time higher education or
- in Welsh Government funded Work Based Learning
- an ineligible overseas national; or
- in receipt of an Assembly Learning Grant or Education Maintenance Allowance; or
- unemployed.
As the programme is aimed at people that would like to change their career then no prior knowledge is needed of the sector. Some of the courses can be accessed with no specific skills or qualifications.
However, you can discuss the course requirements when you have your discussion with a member of the Personal Learning Accounts team from Coleg Cambria.
Coleg Cambria will do its best to meet the needs of everyone when planning the dates and times to run the courses.
We are flexible and will aim to deliver the learning around people’s family and work commitments. Your availability will be discussed during your pre-admission assessment. In addition, a number of online courses are being delivered by the college.
Welsh Government retain the right to add and remove approved PLA courses in line with demand; the website is updated to reflect these changes.
Welsh Government is funding 100% of the course costs.
The course is free and will be 100% funded by the Welsh Government.
However, you will need to pay for your travel and ensure you have sufficient time to be able to commit to attending and completing the course.
Prior to starting the course you will be offered to develop a training plan which will set out the courses / qualifications you can do to help you progress your career in whichever sector you choose.
You can access more than one course, but must finish one course before starting another.
We understand circumstances change. You could apply to start a new course, if you still met the eligibility criteria for the programme. However, if you dropped out of your second course you would not be entitled to future funding through the Personal Learning Account.
Skill shortages within Construction, Digital, Logistics, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Hospitality and Health and Social Care (re-engagement) are creating recruitment issues among employers.
These courses have been chosen following extensive engagement with employers, stakeholders, representative groups and potential participants to ensure they address the skill shortages within these sectors.
You wouldn’t receive the money directly. The college will be paid directly by Welsh Government.
Any additional costs such as childcare and travel will not be funded.
If you are made redundant during your PLA course then we can work with you to ensure that you maximise funding available to you should you wish to re-train.
Please contact us for more information.
Yes, you will be asked to show your photo ID and proof of earnings before completing a self-declaration form.
The college is flexible and will aim to deliver the learning around your family and work commitments; your availability will be discussed during your pre-admission assessment.
You will need to arrange your own time to study your qualification. You could learn in a classroom environment or online class on a certain day of the week.
We’d be very interested to hear your personal story about how a PLA has helped you to change career and realise your aspirations. These questions will be part of your learning plan.
Yes they are open to anyone who meets all other eligibility criteria. You will be asked to evidence your earnings in the same way employed applicants are required.