You may be eligible for a discretionary local authority grant. Apply to the education department of your local council. Applying early can help.

It may be possible to find a local or national charitable trust willing to help finance your studies. Local trusts may be run independently, or by your council. Try your local library or the internet as a starting point.

Alternatively, the government offers Career Development Loans (CDL), deferred repayment bank loans to help you pay for vocational studies. These are available through a partnership arrangement between the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and three high street banks - Barclays, The Co-operative and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Go to the Directgov website direct.gov.uk/cdl or call a CDL advisor on 0800 585 505.

Student Finance Direct is another useful source of information studentfinancedirect.co.uk