Frequently asked questions
Age and residency
Is ILA Scotland available to everyone resident in Scotland?
No, it is available to people aged 16 or over and who have an income of £18,000 a year or less You have to be ordinarily resident in Scotland to apply for ILA Scotland funding. To make an application to ILA Scotland an individual must be:
- a British citizen;
or
- a national of a member state of the European Economic Area who has utilised their ‘right of residence’;
or
- settled within the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 33(2A) of the Immigration Act 1971;
and
- ordinarily resident* in Scotland.
Asylum Seekers
If an individual has any restrictions on taking up employment or seeking benefits in the UK, then he/she may not be eligible to make an application. Anyone who is not sure should supply a photocopy of their most recent Home Office documentation (or stamp on your passport), confirming his/her status to remain in the UK, along with their application.
*Ordinarily resident means that you live in Scotland year after year by choice, apart from temporary or occasional absences such as holidays or business trips. Living here totally or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education may not count as being ordinarily resident. If you are not a UK national, you must be settled in Scotland (as set out in the Immigration Act 1971) immediately before the date on which you made your application.
As there is no scheme in England, can someone resident in England get funding from ILA Scotland?
No.
Are Forces Personnel eligible?
Yes. Under the temporary non-resident arrangements, forces personnel are treated as being resident at the establishment where they are based. If they are ordinarily resident in Scotland but are serving overseas, they would be eligible.
Who will handle residency questions?
Basic eligibility questions will be asked when the learner contacts the ILA Scotland Learner helpline. However, general guidance provided to you via the website should enable you to address any questions that may be specific to the learner.
Learner Application
Is the call centre the only source of the application form?
Yes, this is both for security and consistency of information purposes. Learners should call free on 0808 100 1090 to receive an application.
Why can’t partners keep a supply of application forms?
To ensure consistency of information, help and guidance and, most importantly, for security reasons, access to the ILA Scotland application forms are strictly controlled and are only available through contacting the freephone ILA Scotland learner helpline. Encouraging the learner to make this initial call is also an important stage in the learning process.
What will the turnaround time be for learner applications?
The expected turnaround time for applications is 2 working weeks from the date the application is received by ILA Scotland but this could be longer during peak periods such as August and September. The learner should receive their ILA Scotland account notification by the end of the two week period. Should there be any delay in the learner's application being processed this will be advised.
When does the learner year start and finish?
The learner year is specific to each individual, it begins on the day the application is accepted by ILA Scotland and finishes at the start of the same month the next learner year.
Will there be provision for the hard of hearing within the call centre?
Yes, text phone is available for the hard of hearing.
Some learners will not have a secure address to which the application can be sent. Can the application be sent to us instead?
Application forms will as a rule require to be sent directly to the learner. In specific cases, where vulnerable learners do not have secure addresses, suitable secure alternatives may be considered.
Are individuals on other funded programmes prevented from participating in the scheme?
The ILA Scotland scheme will not support double-funding of individuals from different public funding sources to do the same training. However, if an ILA Scotland account holder in receipt of public funds for certain types of training, for example Modern Apprenticeships, wishes to use ILA Scotland funding for another type of learning which is eligible under ILA Scotland, they can do so.
Income Assessment
Why is the income threshold set at £18,000? Will this not exclude a number of people who have low skills but earn more than the threshold?
The income threshold relates to the individual income, not the household income. Thus, it is a considerably more generous, and inclusive, threshold than that which applies to most other broadly comparable funding mechanisms.
Does the £18,000 income level apply to both full time and part time work?
There is no distinction between employed learners who are working full or part-time. The £18,000 income level is based on individual income and is assessed using all earned income over the required period.
Does the £18,000 income limit include overtime and one-off payments?
Yes, the £18,000 per annum income limit is determined by using a snapshot of income at the time the learner makes their application. This will be based on an average of the 3 pay slips and multiplied up accordingly to create an annualised figure. However, where, on this basis, the learner’s initial income level is above the £18,000 limit and subsequently drops below £18,000 per annum, the learner can ask for a re-assessment of their ILA Scotland application.
Learner Account
Does the learner have to open their ILA Scotland account before the course is booked on the ILA Scotland system?
Yes, ILA Scotland account number is required to make the booking and there will be no retrospective arrangements. This should be made clear to learners.
Does the learner have to open a new account every year?
£200 accounts
No, but if they have the £200 account we will write to the learner every year to find out if any of their account details need to be changed. Towards the end of their learner year, if they previously qualified for ILA Scotland funding of up to £200 per year, we will send them a form to confirm their income. They should complete this and return it to us with proof of their income so that we can assess whether they still want to qualify.
£500 accounts
This type of account runs for an academic year so learners must re-apply for every year of their course.
Can learners carry over any money in their £200 ILA Scotland account to the next year?
No. The funds in their £200 account are available for 12 months only. If they do not use the full amount they will not be able to carry it over to the next year. However, their account starts again each year, with fresh funds.
Does the learner have to pay VAT on their contribution?
Some organisations may have to charge VAT on the price of the learning they provide. In that case, the VAT may be added to the minimum amount the learner has to contribute. So, they should always check whether VAT will be added to their personal contribution and, if so, what the total amount they have to pay will be.