Frequently Asked Questions
Can't find the answer to a question? Please
have a look through our list of Frequently Asked Questions.
1. I am
not sure what Prince’s Trust course is right for me?
2. Can I
apply for funding to start up my own business?
3. Can I
miss out the 4 day course, and apply for a loan straight away to
set up my business?
4. Can I
make an appointment to see someone about my business idea?
5. I have
a registered business; can I receive help from The Prince’s
Trust?
6. How
long does the Enterprise Programme take?
7. Can I
use a Development Award for equipment for my business?
8. Can I
apply for a Development Award for an overseas trip, expedition or
gap year?
9. Can I
apply for a Development Award for University fees?
10. How long
does it take to receive a Development Award?
11. If I have paid for a course
in advance, can I apply for the Development Award and receive a
refund?
12. If I am successful in my
application for a Development Award, how will I be paid?
13. Can you help me find a
course?
14. Do you provide Development
Award for driving lessons?
15. Do you provide cost of
living expenses? i.e. furniture, rent, everyday clothing.
16. Do we help with resettlement
costs for prisoners?
17. How many people need to form
a group to apply for a Community Cash grant?
18. Do I receive benefits on the
Team, Get into or Get Started programme?
19. Do
you cover travel costs on the Team, Get into or Get Started
programme?
20. Do you find work experience
opportunities?
21. Can you help find
jobs?
22. I am ready to work, should I
apply for a Get into or Get Started course?
23. Is there support for people
with disabilities on your programmes?
24. I am a graduate, what help
can I receive?
25. Are there any exceptions to
the rules about programme age criteria?
26. Do you run
apprenticeships?
27. I want to volunteer for The
Prince’s Trust, what do I do next?
28. I would like to work
for The Prince’s Trust; can I send you a CV?
29. What can I do on the
Fairbridge programme?
30. What's the Fairbridge
Access course?
31. What do I get at the
end of the Access?
32. What happens after my
Access?
33. What's Spirit of
Fairbridge?
34. When do I finish
at Fairbridge?
1. I am not sure what Prince’s
Trust course is right for me?
Please call us on 0800 842 842 and we will
help you decide which programme best suits your needs.
2. Can I apply for funding to
start up my own business?
Our Enterprise
Programme will first help you to think through your business
and help you to decide whether self-employment is right for
you. Coming on our Enterprise Programme is not a guarantee of
start-up finance – but we do have limited funds available for those
who cannot secure finance elsewhere. The majority of our
funding is low-interest loan funding. We can award up to
£4,000 for a sole trader and up to £5,000 for a partnership
business. Amounts available will vary depending on regional
funds.
3. Can I miss out the 4 day
course, and apply for a loan straight away to set up my
business?
No, you will need to apply to go on the
Enterprise Programme first. This
involves; an information session, to give you more information
about what support to expect on the programme, a 4 day Explore
Enterprise course, to introduce you to topics relevant to starting
and running a business and one-to-one sessions with a mentor. It’s
important that you attend the whole programme and consider your
idea will work and whether self-employment is right for you.
4. Can I make an appointment
to see someone about my business idea?
Please join our Enterprise Programme. You will be
invited along to an Information Session to learn more about the
programme, followed by an Explore Enterprise course to learn about
topics relevant to starting and running a business. Following
the Explore Enterprise course, you will work one-to-one with a
Prince’s Trust adviser or volunteer to plan your next step; whether
that’s starting a business or some other goal.
5. I have a
registered business; can I receive help from The Prince’s
Trust?
No, the Enterprise Programme is for young
people who are currently unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours
a week and are interested in exploring whether self-employment is
right for them. The programme is designed to help you make
that decision and therefore not suitable for those already running
their own business.
6. How long does the
Enterprise Programme take?
Our team will work at your pace. It can
take up to 12 months to complete depending on the support you would
like.
7. Can I use a Development
Award for equipment for my business?
If you decide to take part in the Enterprise Programme, you may be able to
apply for a Will it Work grant of up to £250 to help you test the
market for your business idea. This process may involve you
using a Will it Work grant to buy essential equipment in order to
produce some of your product or to fund a place on a market stall
in order to practise selling to the general public.
8. Can I apply for a Development
Award for an overseas trip, expedition or gap
year?
No - The Prince’s Trust does not fund overseas
travel or programmes.
9. Can I apply for a Development
Award for University fees?
No – The Prince’s Trust will only fund courses
that are at Level 3 or below. This is equivalent to A-Level or
below.
10. How long does it take to
receive a Development Award?
It takes between 4 – 6 weeks depending on how
busy we are so please leave enough time when applying.
11. If I have paid for a course
in advance, can I apply for the Development Award and receive a
refund?
No - The Prince’s Trust does not refund any
money paid out in advance.
12. If I am successful in my
application for a Development Award, how will I be
paid?
Payment is never made to young people
directly. The Prince’s Trust will use procurement cards, cheques or
vouchers to make payments to the relevant third party e.g. local
college or online retailer etc…
13. Can you help me find a
course?
To apply for a Development Award you need to know what
you want to apply for and the reasons why. If you know you need
help but don’t know what you want to do then The Prince’s Trust can
help you through a variety of programmes. Please call 0800 842 842
to discuss your options with us.
14. Do you provide Development
Award for driving lessons?
Funding for driving lessons varies from region
to region depending on transport links. If driving is vital for you
to access a job or training please contact your local Prince’s Trust office to enquire.
15. Do you provide cost of living
expenses? i.e. furniture, rent, everyday clothing.
No - The Prince’s Trust only provides funding
for young people to help with progression into work, education or
training.
16. Do we help with resettlement
costs for prisoners?
No but please have a look at our website
for a list of ex-offender support
agencies.
17. How many people need to form
a group to apply for a Community Cash grant?
We accept individual or group applications but
The Trust does encourage group applications because of the
important skills that can be developed through team working.
18. Do I receive benefits on the Team, Get into or
Get Started programme?
The Prince’s Trust has an agreement with
Jobcentre Plus (JCP) so that young people who are on unemployment
benefits can normally continue to receive these while on the
programme. But it’s really important you let the Jobcentre know
before you start your programme, so you can keep your Benefits.
19. Do you cover travel costs on the Team, Get
into or Get Started programme?
Yes, we do cover some travel costs, please
speak to your Team Leader or Prince’s Trust contact for more
information.
20. Do you find work experience
opportunities?
Depending on The Programme, The Trust can help
you with work experience:
Team -
includes 2 weeks work experience. Your Team Leader will help you
find your work experience
Get into – can
provide practical training and work experience in a variety of
sectors such as retail, construction and hospitality
Get Started –
is followed by 3 months progression support from The Prince’s Trust
who will work with you to find suitable work experience, or to
achieve another goal
Enterprise – will provide you with
support to find work experience if you decide that work experience
is necessary either before pursuing self employment or as an
alternative to self-employment.
21. Can you help find
jobs?
Similar to question 20, The Trust can help in
different ways depending on the programme. The best programme if
you are ready for employment is Get
into
Team, Enterprise and Get Started programmes
also include some employability support such as; CV, job
application and interview workshops. Also there is progression
support available with The Trust after these programmes to help you
achieve your goals.
22. I am ready to work,
should I apply for a Get into or Get Started course?
Get into courses are for young people who are
ready for work but do not have the qualifications or training they
need in order to get a job. They involve sector-specific training,
employability skills and work experience and often include a
relevant qualification to help you progress in your chosen
sector.
Get Started courses are for young people who
are not ready for work. It gives them the chance to try something
new and develop skills and, for the majority of young people, the
aim is to get back into training or education, rather than
employment.
23. Is there support for
people with disabilities on your programmes?
24. I am a graduate,
what help can I receive?
If you graduated more than 6 months ago and
meet our eligibility criteria, please contact us to talk about what
opportunities there might be to join the Enterprise Programme in
your area.
25. Are there
any exceptions to the rules about programme age
criteria?
The only exception is on the Get Started and
Get into programmes. If a young person has legally left school at
the age of 15 and are going to turn 16 before 31st
August then they are eligible for the programme.
26. Do you run
apprenticeships?
No, but the Get
into programme sometimes comes with the opportunity to apply
for an apprenticeship at the end of the course.
27. I want to
volunteer for The Prince’s Trust, what do I do next?
All of current volunteer vacancies are listed on our
website. Once you are on the webpage, please click on your region
to find local vacancies. Please apply using the online form.
For more information about volunteering please click here.
28. I
would like to work for The Prince’s Trust; can I send you a
CV?
The Prince’s Trust does not accept CVs. Please
go to our website for a list of current
vacancies and apply using the online application form.
If you can't find the answer you are looking
for, please call our Customer Services Advisors on 0800 842 842
Monday - Friday between 9am and 5pm or send us an email.
29. What can I do on the
Fairbridge programme?
You'll get the chance to try lots of different activities. If
you're interested in outdoor activities, you could try climbing,
canoeing, caving and lots more. If you're not so keen on the
outdoors, we also offer activities like art, drama and music.
Before you start a course you will meet with one of the
Outreach & Development Workers at least once and will get the
chance to visit your local Prince's Trust Centre, so it
won't all seem completely new.
30. What's the Fairbridge
Access course?
Access is the first thing you'll do on the Fairbridge
programme. It's for you to find out how we work, meet new people
and try new challenges. Access is about a week long, and usually
includes one or two nights away on a residential. During the course
you will do challenging activities like rock-climbing, kayaking,
mountain walks and abseiling. You'll also help out with cooking and
cleaning up after the group. The Access is a good opportunity to
meet new people, and a lot of young people who come on the
Fairbridge programme say they made a lot of friends.
31. What do I get at the
end of the Access?
At the end of the course you get a Fairbridge Access certificate
and a certificate showing that you have three credits towards an
ASDAN qualification. Access is like your passport onto the other
activities we run on the Fairbridge programme.
32. What
happens after my Access?
After Access you will have a chat with your Outreach and
Development Worker about what you want to do next. The Fairbridge
programme offers lots of different projects and courses, which
could be more outdoor activities or courses that help you to
develop skills for work or living on your own.
We also offer the chance to get some qualifications. The groups
are small and you get a lot of support. You can choose which
courses interest you and arrange to come along. You can do as many
courses on the Fairbridge programme as you need to help you
get to your next move.
33. What's Spirit of
Fairbridge?
The Fairbridge programme has its own boat, the Spirit
of Fairbridge, in Scotland. If you're interested you can go
sailing. A lot of our young people say it's the experience of a
lifetime. If you want to go sailing on Spirit of
Fairbridge your Outreach and Development Worker will help
you figure out what you need to do and help you to plan your
trip.
34. When do I finish
at Fairbridge?
As long as you are aged between 13 and 25, you can stay at
Fairbridge for as long as you need, until you feel ready to make
your next step. We'll give you lots of support to do this. If you
feel that you need to come back, you can. The door is always
open.