Pictured above: Kevin Hayes

The Coalition government was accused today of 'pricing people out of training' by axing the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) paid to youngsters to keep them in training.

Kevin Hayes, chief executive of one of Birmingham's oldest social enterprises - the training agency Enta - has criticised the decision to end the grant, which was worth as much as £30 a week to young people aged 16 to 18.

Since its introduction in 2004, EMA has helped support students and trainees from low income backgrounds, providing them with a small income of their own for travel, books and materials needed in their studies.

In many cases the allowance - paid to students whose parents earned less than £30,800 a year - was even used to buy food.

"It's a backward step," said Mr Hayes, who is also Chairman of the city's Foundation Learning Forum. "Removing the only financial support that many of these young people have to continue in training is totally wrong, and can only make unemployment in the target age group even worse. 

"Enta has provided training for young people for more than 30 years and they have always received from some financial training allowance.

"Five years ago we had a NEET (not in employment, education or training) figure of 14.7% and schools, colleges, training providers and other service providers have worked incredibly hard to half that number, to a current rate of 7.7%.

"I seriously expect that cutting EMA will force that figure up above 10% again when it is next measured in May. The sad fact is that some youngsters who genuinely want to train and get a job can't afford it without EMA."

Mike Allerson, director at JAC Training, added: "We have noticed an immediate decline in the uptake of training opportunities since the removal of EMA grant support.  

"EMA was an incentive to attend consistently and commit to achieving qualifications. The withdrawal of EMA has put a financial barrier in place that impacts directly on those that need the support most. Many young people in our client group have enough barriers to climb without this additional one."

Mr Hayes added that at the latest meeting of the Foundation Learning Forum, last week, training providers from across the city agreed that the changes were affecting induction numbers.

"Before Christmas Enta inducted an average of 16 or 17 people at a time onto our courses. In January we should have started 12 new learners - in fact only five turned up," he said.

"The others didn't attend because they couldn't afford to come. The decision to end EMA means that all new learners will have is their bus fare to get here - paid for by us - and the free breakfast we offer.

"There's a limit to what organisations like ours can do and we have to avoid a situation were youngsters choose training providers based on what financial incentives they offer, not on their location or what courses they offer."

EMA is now closed to new applicants. Young learners already receiving the grant will continue to do so until July or until they move on to further education, or another training provider, when it will stop. 

Seventeen-year-old Danny Cawser joined Enta's construction industry course from Cardinal Wiseman School, Kingstanding, and was shocked to discover he no longer qualified for EMA.

"I don't like it, because I have to last the week here with no money. My mother provides lunch, and Enta pays for my bus fares, but I have to survive like this for at least another six months," he said.

"I don't know how I'm going to make ends meet."

Haroon Talib (18) is also on the construction course, and is being provided with food by his family. But the loss of EMA means there is no money for text books or materials needed on the course.

"I don't know how I'm going to manage," said Haroon, who formerly attended Hodge Hill Sixth Form College. "There's just nothing spare at all."