Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) ( cy, Lwfans Cynhaliaeth Addysg; LCA) is a financial scheme applicable to
students and those undertaking
unpaid work
Unpaid labor or unpaid work is defined as labor or work that does not receive any direct remuneration. This is a form of non-market work which can fall into one of two categories: (1) unpaid work that is placed within the production boundary of ...
-based learning in the United Kingdom (except England) and aged between sixteen and nineteen whose parents had a certain level of taxable income. It is no longer paid in England. It applies to those doing, or applying to do, at least 12 hours of guided learning on
further education courses in school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and Further Education colleges. This includes a wide range of courses up to and including level 3, such as
A-levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
,
GCSEs,
BTECs GNVQ
A General National Vocational Qualification, or GNVQ, was a certificate of vocational education in the United Kingdom. The last GNVQs were awarded in 2007.
The qualifications related to occupational areas in general, rather than any specific ...
s,
NVQ
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by the ...
s and other vocational qualifications. Those partaking in an
Entry to Employment (E2E course, formerly known as Work based Learning) must do at least 16 hours a week of guided study. Any missed lessons except for extenuating circumstances voids payment for that week. In 2010 the weekly payment for the England scheme were:
*£30 per week for those whose household income is under £20,817 p.a.;
*£20 per week for those whose household income is between £20,818 and £25,521 p.a.;
*£10 per week for those whose household income is between £25,522 and £30,810 p.a.
In Scotland a flat rate of £30/week per student is payable where assessed income is £20,351 or less (or £22,403 where there is more than one child in the household).
Benefits
The
Labour Party claimed the EMA scheme was of great benefit to those teenagers from low-income households, encouraging people to stay in education past the legally required age of 16 (end of year 11; fourth year in Scotland, and year 12 in Northern Ireland). Once in education it encouraged high attendance in return for bonuses. A 2006
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report suggested that even with the EMA, parents earning less than £30,000 a year still struggle to support teenagers enough to enable them to stay in education past 16.
In tests done by 56 of the 150 English local education authorities in 2004, the
found staying-on rates improved up 5.9 percentage points among those who were eligible. This effect was most pronounced amongst boys whose parents were unemployed or employed in unskilled or semi-skilled manual jobs, the group with lowest stay-on rates, and arguably facing the most social pressure to earn money and peer pressure that education is unimportant.
stated opposition to EMA while in opposition. Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis, said: "There are significantly more important things to do with £20m than give young people a Christmas bonus." Conservative Party spokesman
said: "This is another blatant example of the government trying to fiddle the figures. Bribing young people to sign up for courses they may not complete, might make ministers' targets look achievable – but they do absolutely nothing to help solve this country's chronic skills shortage."
confirmed on 20 October 2010 that the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme in England was to be cancelled as part of a programme of budget cuts. It has been replaced by a £180m bursary scheme focused on students from a less wealthy household than others. The Bursary is paid to the educational establishment, unlike EMA which is paid to the student.
Since educational policy is a devolved matter, the EMA schemes in Wales and Scotland continue in effect after review by the
respectively, and new applications continue to be accepted. The EMA scheme in Northern Ireland, after review by the
, will also continue in 2011. However, EMA "performance bonus payments", as well as the £20 and £10 payment bands, were cut in Wales at the end of the 2010/2011 year.