Re-Act Funding can make the difference in a redundancy or job loss situation
Welsh Government Re-Act grants make the difference when someone is being made redundant AND NOW the scheme covers people who have lost their job as well …
Being made redundant or loosing your job can be very stressful, but it can also offer new opportunities. Being made redundant or becoming unemployed isn’t always as bad at it might first appear. Although the change may be out of your hands, it gives you the chance to follow that dream you’ve always wanted, try something new or perhaps simply provides the time to take stock and hit the pause button briefly to consider your options – this could be the making of you!
Our Lead Trainer Laura Evans knows first hand the benefits of Re-Act Funding; Laura was made redundancy 3 times during her corporate career and each time life got even better for her (yes, seriously!). Redundancy provided opportunities and access to a training grant each time Laura was made redundant that really helped her secure the jobs she wanted and increased her employability.
Yes, there is no denying the early days can be tough when you’ve been told your services are no longer required – whether through redundancy, not passing your probation period, fixed term contract comes to an end or you were dismissed. Sometimes it feels scary, unsettling, can create uncertainty, maybe it puts you into overwhelm as you worry about how you can pay your bills or care for your loved ones. These feelings are quite normal reactions – but we promise you this phase passes. We support people to come out of this phase, see ways they can retake control and move forward towards a new goal. We get lots of people on our courses who are at a cross-roads in their life and NLP is great for not only equipping you with lots of new skills and experiences you can use in the workplace, but it also helps you with your own mindset as you go through this transition phase.
Re-Act funding – am I eligible?
In Wales, we have been very lucky to have access to Welsh Government support through the Redundancy Action Scheme (Re-Act) for many years. In March 2021 the Welsh Government took the decision to expand the scheme to also include those who have become unemployed. ReAct helps people affected by redundancy or unemployment gain new skills – skills you need to help you secure employment.
The great thing is that if you meet certain criteria you can have access to a training grant of up to £1,500 to acquire new skills, retrain and/or change career if you live or work in Wales (cool, eh?). You also get to select the training provider you wish to train with.
Welsh Government details of the criteria can be found here, and include;
- Have become unemployed since 1st January 2020 as a result of redundancy, are currently unemployed and who have not been in continuous employment for 6 weeks or more since being made redundant and the date of the ReAct grant application; or
- Are currently under formal notice of redundancy; or
- Have been unemployed for reasons other than redundancy on or since 1st January 2020, are currently unemployed, and who have not been in continuous employment for 6 weeks or more between the date of unemployment and the date of the ReAct grant application.
- Whether due to redundancy or becoming unemployed for a reason other than redundancy, have not undertaken any publicly funded training since being made redundant or unemployed, including the work-based learning suite of programmes such as an apprenticeship
The change in eligibility in March 2021 means that many more people are now eligible for the grant! Whether you lost your job from redundancy, end of a fixed term contract, failed probation period or were dismissed – you can now apply! We have spoken to ReAct and if you resigned from your role with good reason you may also be considered although this is less clear cut – e.g. if you resigned due to bullying, or some other substantive reason that meant you just couldn’t carry on you may also be eligible (but people applying as a result of resignations should be aware their applications are at the absolute discretion of ReAct/Welsh Government).
The other great thing is that the ReAct grant is not means tested – so no matter what your salary if you are an employee and want help to gain skills to gain another job – you can apply for the £1,500 grant.
In addition you can apply for …..
- … help towards costs of travel to training courses (e.g. mileage if your are driving or train fares)
- … overnight accommodation costs, where approbate (e.g. you cant travel to the training venue each day because it’s too far from home)
- … a contribution towards childcare costs whilst training (subject to limits and conditions)
- … help with the costs of special equipment to remove barriers to training
Re-Act funding – how does it work (from an applicants point of view)?
In order to ensure that training funded by Re-Act provides the best possible chance of helping you acquire skills that will help you find a new job, all applicants need to have their training needs assessed by Careers Wales. In essence they will review the course you have selected and will need to understand how that will help you secure employment (not necessarily doing the same thing as you were before), they will help you create a career action plan that the Re-Act team will need to see when they consider your application for Re-Act funding.
The Careers Wales Team are really helpful and knowledgeable and will help you understand and complete the paperwork needed for your application and will be able to advise on access to the additional funds, if for example you need to be away from home to complete a course (covering hotel and mileage costs) or need additional funds to support child care. You can contact your local Careers Wales office on 0800 028 4844 to make an appointment. Once the form is correctly and fully completed (Careers Wales can help you with this), the Re-Act team are really good at turning around applications fairly quickly (usually within 10 working days – but if we need to support you get approval faster we can assist with contacting ReAct to fast track your application).
Timing is critical … if you want to access the Re-Act grant you need to be either unemployed or under notice of redundancy at the time of submitting your application (you must not have yet accepted a new job offer either).
ReAct funding – do Unleash Your Potential take people on their NLP courses who are funded by a Re-Act grant?
Yes! We are happy to help people use the fantastic Re-Act training grant for our NLP Courses. People who want to use redundancy or job loss as an opportunity to enhance their skills and chances of getting a job, retrain or make a change in career are our type of delegates! We view redundancy as a fantastic opportunity (seriously!) – and it’s not unheard of for us to congratulate people who have been given the golden opportunity that redundancy creates … particularly in Wales where we have the support of Re-Act funding!
