Coleg Cambria students visit Senedd to back Education Maintenance Allowance boost

A group of students from Coleg Cambria visited the Senedd in Cardiff to support a decision that will provide financial relief to thousands of young people in Wales.

Student representatives from the college – based in Deeside, Northop, Wrexham and Llysfasi – were invited to the Senedd in Cardiff by Vicki Howells MS, Minister for Further and Higher Education.

There, they joined NUS Wales members to hear the Minister announce the household income threshold for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was to be uplifted, a boost to families across the country.

The EMA is a weekly grant of £40, designed to support 16 to 18-year-olds from eligible households with further education (FE) costs, such as transport or meals.

Currently, more than 16,000 students receive EMA but starting from the new academic year in September an estimated 3,500 more will benefit from the uplift.

For households with one dependent child, it will rise from £20,817 to £23,400, meaning families with a household income of £23,400 or less will be eligible to receive EMA.

The threshold for households with two or more dependents is currently £23,077 and this will increase to £25,974, meaning families with a household income of £25,974 or less will be eligible to receive EMA.

Among those to witness the news in person was Cambria’s Student Voice Engagement Coordinator Mark-Ryan Hughes, who said: “We were very proud to have been invited to the Senedd to watch the Minister announce the uplift in the household income thresholds for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

“It was a great opportunity for Coleg Cambria Student Representatives to witness a key development which will enable thousands more students in colleges and sixth forms to access crucial financial support.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells, said: “Wales already delivers the most generous Education Maintenance Allowance in the UK, helping post-16 learners to continue studying academic or vocational courses, and this change means we will now be supporting thousands more learners.”

Deio Owen, President of NUS Cymru, added: “Raising the household income threshold for EMA will enable more than 3,500 young people to engage with post-16 learning.

“We have been campaigning for this for quite some time and are delighted that the Welsh Government have finally listened to student voices.”

Coleg Cambria students also met with the Minister for Further and Higher Education and Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan, discussing the EMA changes and transport for learners in communities across north east Wales.