City of Westminster College students have met local MP Karen Buck to discuss the impact of the abolition of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

 

Karen Buck, who is MP for Westminster North, visited the College’s new Paddington Green Campus last Wednesday (2 March) for a round-table discussion with a group of over 30 students who receive EMA. She wanted to find out what difference the money made to their studies, and how losing the grant will affect them.

The EMA - which closed to new applicants in January 2011 and will not be paid after the current academic year - is a means-tested allowance and is generally paid to households with incomes of under £21,000. Around three quarters of City of Westminster College’s full-time 16-18 year-old students are currently in receipt of the allowance.

 

For many of our students – particularly those who don’t live locally – the grant is used to assist with travel costs. Others use the money, which ranges from £10-£30 a week depending on household income, for study materials and food.

 

During the discussion the MP also asked why students chose City of Westminster College. Some said that this was because it offers specialist courses – such as Engineering – that are not available at their local college, while others were attracted by the quality of teaching and high standard of facilities. Some students also said that for them moving on from a school to City of Westminster College was a way to make a fresh start and focus on their future careers.

 

Karen Buck spent an hour with the students and at the end of the session she thanked them for taking part in the discussion and said she would raise issues they had mentioned in Parliament.

 

ENDS

 

Photo: Karen Buck MP met a group of City of Westminster College students to discuss the impact of losing the EMA.

 

Further information:

 

• City of Westminster College is a leading London further education college with centres in Central and West London and a range of outreach facilities.
• The College offers over 250 vocational and academic courses to some 7,000 students each year. Specialisms include Sport, Digital Media, Engineering, Music Technology and Science.
• The College is associate partner of Middlesex University and University of Westminster and a Founder College of the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. It is also a Westminster Skillset Media Academy with the University of Westminster.

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