Are you an adult or mature student looking to fund a new career?
Makes sense to us.
Many middle aged employees are looking to seek training so that they can develop new skills which will make them competitive in an ever changing job market. In order to facilitate the entrance of these middle aged workers into new job classifications the government has made available education grants to help cover the cost of learning these new skills.
The Application Process: Step 1
Regardless of your age, the process of applying for a grant is the same.
Basically you need apply with the appropriate government agency.
Most of the time, the grant application starts by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student or FAFSA.
This is the “gateway” application for many federal and state grant and scholarship options and submitting it will determine your eligibility for available grants.
Most federal and state grants are “needs based”; the amount you are eligible for depends on your degree of financial need.
It also helps to visit the financial aid office of your chosen school and making an appointment with a financial aid counsellor.
The counsellor will explain to various options available to the you. The options would range from low interest loans to free grant money. Most of these programs would be on a needs assessment basis (i.e., based on income). In other words the student would need to bring documentation that confirms his financial need.
Step 2: Financial Aid Service Form
The next step of the process would involve the person completing an FAS (Financial Aid Service) form while he is in the financial aid office.
The student will be required to provide his complete financial history on this form as well as any other information that will help to determine his eligibility for financial assistance. This form will also be used for middle aged student who are seeking grants to return to school.
The Financial Aid Service (FAS) is an international organization that bridges the gap between student, schools and the Department of Education.
Step 3: Sit around and wait.
Once the form is completed it must be mailed to the home office of FAS for processing.
The form will usually take about 6 to 8 weeks to process so a student should keep this in mind when he is applying for financial aid.
Once the form is processed you will receive a reward letter in the mail which outlines the financial assistance you are eligible to receive. You must take this letter back to the financial aid office and sign it in front of the financial aid counsellor and he award will be processed.
This is the manner in which the majority of financial aid request are processed. There are other circumstances where the application form for the middle age worker can be obtained from his former employer but in most cases once the form is complete it will be returned to the FAS or a similar organization for processing. It is also possible to acquire the form from your bank
The various grants that are available for adult workers have been developed to help the worker pay for the training that he needs to gain new skills so that he can become competitive in an ever changing job market. In all cases the grants do not have to be repaid.
