The Zenobe Kilmarnock BESS Education & Training Fund
| Grant size (per household) | Up to £400 |
| Area |
East Ayrshire
|
| Key dates | |
| Application deadline: | 30/09/25 |
About this fund
The Zenobe BESS Kilmarnock Education & Training Fund supports eligible residents living near the BESS site who have started or wish to engage in study or training. In this first year up to £400 is available per household. This may be spread across one or more training opportunities or cover a single training opportunity.
The allocation may vary after Year 1 or 2.
Purpose of this fund
The Zenobe Kilmarnock BESS Education & Training Fund provides grants to help local people aged 16 or over to take up and progress through education and training courses to increase their skills and enable access to a wider range of further training or employment opportunities. It may also assist them overcome financial barriers which might otherwise prevent them from starting, completing or participating fully in courses.
Funding can be used to cover part or all of course fees, travel costs, essential equipment such as books or IT equipment, childcare and subsistence. Please see 'additional criteria' below to see what levels of support are available.
Additional criteria
Your course may be long-term (one year or more) or shorter (1 day or even less, or taught over a period of weeks or months) and may be full-time or part-time. The level of grant you receive will depend on the course you want to do, other funding available to you and any other awards already made within the year to other residents in your household.
There is no restriction on the subject of study or type of course but in your application we do need you to provide evidence of the offer of a place.
For courses of more than one year, applicants may be eligible to apply for a further grant in subsequent academic years of study.
For short courses (lasting less than a full academic year), you can apply for part or all of the course fee, up to a maximum of £400. Part of the grant may also assist with the cost of travel, childcare and subsistence, based on £8 per study day.
For courses of one academic year or longer, the fund can offer up to £400 towards the range of expenses incurred whilst studying during a particular academic year. You may apply again for subsequent academic years or if you progress to a new course. Part-time students may receive a lower grant depending on the costs that they might face.
For DVLA Theory and Driving Tests, you can apply for a grant of £100 towards the costs associated with theory and driving tests. You will need to provide a copy of your Provisional Licence and evidence of a future Theory Test booking date.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from anyone who is:
- Aged 16 and over
- A resident in the eligible area
- On (or applying for) a further/higher education or training course to develop skills and employability
If you're currently employed and want to take a related course of study your employer is expected to contribute up to 50% of the course costs.
To apply you need to be resident in a household within the boundary area shown on this map which identifies the most affected households near the project site or particularly affected by the site’s construction.
What can’t be funded?
Information on what the fund cannot support is provided here. Also:
- Costs relating to driving lessons.
- Costs for high school pupils to attend external college courses are not eligible.
- Costs that are already covered by a school, college, the Council or other body - we expect University and college students to have explored funding available from Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS - see 'Useful Links' below).
How are decisions made?
Foundation Scotland will review your application and may then contact you for further information. You will receive a decision by email. This process will take between 2-4 weeks.
How to apply
Please apply below. You will need:
- A working email account that you can access - to set up an online portal account through which applications are submitted online.
- A recent bank statement - because we often need to check account details are correct before we can pay out a grant. A scanned or photographed or electronic copy will need to be uploaded during the application process.
- Evidence of your home address - this could be your driving licence, SAAS letter or a bill (for example your mobile phone); any official letter (for example from the Scottish Exam Board, school correspondence, NHS appointment letters, tax letters, a payslip); or if you are at college or university, they may be able to provide something suitable.
If you would like to review the questions you will be asked to answer before starting the form, you can see them here.
If you have any problems applying online or setting up your portal, please email grants@foundationscotland.org.uk or call 0131 524 0300 (during office hours) and we will be pleased to help.
If you have already started an application and not completed it, please login here to resume.
Applications can normally be submitted at any time except:
- For courses lasting less than a year (which we call 'short courses): applications must be received at least 6 weeks before the course starts. If you need a decision more quickly, we will do our best to process your application immediately but cannot guarantee doing this in less than 2-4 weeks.
- For courses lasting one-year or more: we can accept applications from students already on longer-term or multi-year courses, but we will not make grant payments for any previous academic years.
Contact information
Central Systems Support
Laura McLeod