Young people choosing to study at an ‘Outstanding’ County Durham college will be able to take advantage of an enhanced Rewards scheme from this September.
All full-time further education students aged 16-18 will be eligible for a £200 ‘Cash for College’ reward plus an additional £200 for those with a household income below £26,000; this is as well as free travel to College on Arriva or Go North East buses for students that live at least two miles from the College.
Students aged 19 and over can also take advantage of a means-tested cash reward and travel support up to the value of £400 if their household income is below £26,000.
John Widdowson, Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham said: “The College is delighted to announce our new Rewards package for September 2013 to financially support students with the additional costs that arises from studying high quality vocational and academic courses. We have made a substantial investment in this package and want to make coming to New College Durham as easy and accessible as possible.”
The College will also offer separate bursaries of up to £1,200 for students in care, or care leavers, students on income support or those with a disability. There is also assistance with childcare via a Government Care to Learn scheme.
Stacey Ayre aged 16 from Ferryhill will be starting the second year of her A-Levels in September. She said: “This is fantastic news for all full-time students, as I live more than 2 miles from College, I already get free travel to College on Go North East, so to get this again from September is a real bonus. The new reward ‘Cash for College’ is going to help me and my friends get the things we need for our course. It makes sense that if your attendance is good, and you’re up to date with your course work and working hard, that you are rewarded with cash that can help towards your study costs.”
The Flex and Travel scheme offer free transport and is also a great help for students studying at New College Durham. It offers 16-18 year old full-time students, who are studying further education, the opportunity of free travel to and from the College. The students can travel on services operated by Aviva or Go Northern on weekdays, during term time. The great benefit of this is that allows students to travel on the buses which best suit their timetable, giving them greater flexibility around their studies.
Students will be eligible for other financial rewards while they study at New College Durham including free sports activities, discounted gym membership plus a wide range of onsite facilities, activities and services..
New College Durham is the first choice for many young people in County Durham, with achievement rates amongst the best in the country, and success rates placing the College in the top 10% of colleges nationally.
For full terms and conditions for all the New College Durham Rewards go to www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk/rewards or telephone 0191 3754040.
