Secretary of State for Education & Skills, Ruth Kelly, is calling on all eligible young people to apply now to start receiving Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in September.

Young people taking up the EMA initiative will add to the 295,000 students who have already received the weekly payment since its launch across England a year ago (full regional statistics in notes to editors).

EMA is a financial incentive paid to young people who continue to study after 16 on a wide range of courses such as vocational courses up to NVQ level 3, academic courses such as A-levels or GCSE retakes at school or college.

Young people who turn 17 or 18 during the academic year which starts in September can apply now, in order for the EMA payments to kick in at the beginning of the new term.

To be eligible for the means tested payment, young people in this age group need to be from households with incomes of up to £30,000 and will receive EMA payments of £10, £20 or £30 a week, paid directly into their bank accounts, in return for regular attendance and commitment on their course.

The Learning & Skills Council predicts approximately 50 per cent of all 16 year olds, currently in their GCSE year will be eligible for EMA in 2005/2006. This is on top of the 295,000 young people who have already benefited from the first year of Education Maintenance Allowance payments in 2004/2005.

EMA encouraged an estimated additional 35,000 young people to participate in further education last year than would have done before the policy was introduced, the vast majority of whom would have entered low paid work or unemployment. It also helped many thousands more young students concentrate on their studies and reduce their reliance on part-time work to make ends meet.

Moray Bayliss from Sir George Monoux College, Walthamstow, said: "In our experience, young people on EMA view the scheme as a 'something for something' benefit. They understand that they have to stick to the EMA contract they signed up to at the beginning of term and as a result, grades, attendance and motivation levels have improved significantly."

Launching the new application process, the Secretary of State for Education & Skills, Ruth Kelly said: "EMA is about providing opportunities, increasing participation in further education and reducing the number of 16 year olds who drop out, become unemployed or enter into low paid work.

"We are extremely pleased with the hundreds of thousands of students who signed up to the scheme in its first year, many of whom wouldn't have had the chance to continue studying after their GCSEs.

"But we are not just giving this money away without expecting anything in return - students only qualify for their weekly payment if they turn up to all their lessons and hand in their coursework on time."

Young people across England can pick up application forms from schools, sixth form or further education colleges, Connexions personal advisers or by calling 080 810 16219.

In order to apply, young people need to follow this procedure:
1. Pick up an orange application form from school, college, Connexions > personal advisers, by calling 080 810 16219 or by logging onto > www.direct.gov.uk/ema.
2. EMA is paid directly into a young person's bank account, therefore if they haven't got an account, they should set one up and obtain a statement in their name or ask the bank to fill in the relevant part of the application pack to verify the account.
3. Parents/carers need to fill in parts of the application form and provide evidence of household income in the previous financial year 2004/2005. This will normally be the 2004/2005 Tax Credits Award Notice (TCAN) from the Inland Revenue. Some parents/ carers may need to send in a P45 (for unemployed parents), P60 (for employed parents) or SA302 (for self-employed parents).
4. Once the form is correctly completed and returned to the Assessment and Payment Body, a 'Notice of Entitlement' will be sent to the young person, which will explain how much the young person can receive when they enrol at school or college and start attending regularly.
5. The young person should take the 'Notice of Entitlement' Contract Part 1 to their school / college in September 2005 and sign an 'EMA contract' agreeing to be paid in return for regular attendance and commitment to their course.

In addition to the weekly payment of £10, £20 or £30, bonuses - worth up to £500 over a two-year period - are available to those who display good progress and commitment to learning.