Education and Learning
This section gives information about:
Children in Wigan leave school at age 16, but they can continue to study for free until they are 19. Between 16 and 19, children study for AS and A level examinations which is the main route to university.
Children can study for A and AS examinations at a sixth form school or at a college.
Careers and training advice
If you are between the ages of 13 and 19 and need advice on careers or training you can contact the Connexions team (external link) on 0800 953 0109.
There is a wide range of courses available for adults in the Wigan area. Courses are available through the Jobcentre as well as through colleges and educational organisations.
Many basic or introductory courses are free, though you may have to pay for others. In some cases, there is a big difference in how much a course will cost depending on how long you have lived in the UK.
If you need to work out what your home country qualifications are 'worth' in British equivalents, then UK NARIC provides a service to compare qualifications obtained outside the UK with UK qualification levels. You may have to pay for this service. See the UK NARIC website (external link) for more information.
Wigan and Leigh College
Wigan and Leigh College offers a wide range of courses from beginner to advanced level. If you are not sure which course you want to take, or you need more information about a course or the support offered by the college, you can drop in and ask to speak to an advisor or to make an appointment.
Formal entry qualifications are not always necessary and the college may be able to recognise skills and experience that you already have. Call 10942 761607 or 761438 for further information, or have a look at the Wigan and Leigh College website (external link).
If you are over the age of 16 and would like to learn English, you can take an ESOL course. You may have to pay for your course, depending on how long you have been in the UK.
ESOL courses are offered by Wigan and Leigh College (01942 761563)
Wigan is close to several universities which offer a huge range of Higher Education courses.
To get a place to study at university, you need to have:
- entry qualifications (usually A'levels, or an access course, or equivalent qualifications)
- leave to remain in the UK.
University study can be very expensive, with many courses now costing around £3,300 per year, or up to £11,000 if you are an overseas student. You may be able to get help with the costs of your course - talk to an advisor at the university that you want to apply to for more information.
Education for Children
This section gives information about:
Every child between the ages of 5 and 16 must be given an education. Parents have a legal responsibility to make sure this happens - either by registering your child at a school or by arranging a suitable, full-time education yourself for the child. Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly.
To find a free school place for your child ring the School Placements team on 01942 486036 or if your child's first language is not English contact the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Team on 01942 404581 or at the Wigan Council website (external link)
It is illegal for a school to refuse your child a place because of ethnic or national origin or poor language skills. However, a school can refuse to take a child if all their pupil places are full although you have a right of appeal against such a refusal.
Schools require pupils to wear school uniform. People on low incomes can get some help with getting school uniform for their children. Help is available from:
The school your child will be attending or if you child's first language is not English contact the EAL Team ( 01942 404581)
Children need to have something to eat at lunchtime in the middle of the school day. You may send your child with a packed lunch or have a meal provided by the school. Children from families with a low income will be given a free school meal.
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 may be entitled to free nursery education for part of each day. To find out about childcare and nursery education for young children, contact the Children's Information Service (external link) on 01942 486960.
There are 17 Sure Start Children's Centres across the borough. Sure Start is a government initiative aiming to make life better for children, their families and communities. They offer access to early years activities, childcare and family services. For further information about Sure Start membership and to access Children’s Centre services please contact 01942 206205 or go to the SureStart website (external link)
Work and training
This section gives information about:
British nationals and nationals of most European Economic Area countries and do not need permission to work in the UK, though there are conditions for A8 and A2 nationals.
If you are not a British or European citizen, then you MUST check that you have permission to work before taking a job. Your immigration documents will say whether you are permitted to work in the UK or not (“employment prohibited” means that you are NOT allowed to work).
If you are not sure whether your immigration status allows you to work, please get advice from an Immigration Advisor (contact the Citizens Advice Bureau (external link) or Immigration Advisory Service, which holds a weekly service at Wigan CAB: call 01942 241113 to make an appointment).
People seeking asylum who made their asylum application more than 12 months ago and have not yet received an initial decision from the Home Office might be given permission to work, although permission is not guaranteed. For information about how to apply for permission to work, contact your case owner.
A8 nationals
If you are an A8 national (that is, a person from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia) then you will probably need to register on the Workers Registration Scheme (WRS) for the first 12 months that you work in the UK. The UK Borders Agency website (external link) explains who should register and who is exempt . You must register within 30 days of starting your first job, and you MUST inform the Workers Registration team every time you change employer. The Home Office website (external link) has information about how to register in A8 languages, as well as printable registration forms. If you need to speak to someone about the Workers Registration Scheme, call the Work Permit Contact Centre on Telephone: 0114 207 4074.
A2 nationals
A2 nationals (citizens of Bulgaria and Romania) must normally have received permission to take employment before they start work. The UK Borders Agency website (external link) lists the people who are exempt from registration. The rules are complicated, so check the UK Borders Agency website for more details.
A2 nationals who must need authorisation must work within the regulations of the Accession Worker Card scheme for 12 months, which includes staying in the job for which they are authorised. After 12 months they are free to take any employment.
Most people from outside Europe who want to work in the UK will have to apply under the Points Based System. Only those people who come to the UK on Tier 1 are able to change their job whenever they want: if you are on Tiers 2-5, your permission to work in the UK is tied to the job for which you were sponsored to enter the UK. See the Home Office pages on the Points Based System for more information.
If you are finding it difficult to get into employment in Wigan – perhaps because you have been unable to work for a long time, or because don’t have work experience in the UK – then volunteering can be a good way to get some experience and a work reference, to get new skills or to try out a new area of work.
Wigan and Leigh Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) is now running a “Volunteering into Work” project to help people to keep their skills fresh and gain practical experience through volunteering which will help them to find paid work. If you are interested in knowing more about this, please contact Pauline or Dermot on 01942 686234 or visit the website (external link)
The CVS also runs the ‘vinvolved’ project, which trains and supports young people (16 – 25 years) who want to do voluntary work: call 01942 514234 for more information.
Everyone working in the UK is covered by basic employment rights, regardless of your nationality. The organisation Migrant Workers Northwest (external link) gives information on those rights on their website.
The organisation Advice Now has two useful leaflets (external link) explaining what your rights as a worker are:
If you think your employer is not recognising your rights, you can get advice from one of these organisations or from the Citizens Advice Bureau (see this Pack’s page on Getting Advice for contact details. Greater Manchester Pay and Employment Rights Advice Service has a Migrant Workers Employment Rights Advice Service which has a telephone advice and support service, face-to-face advice and support, in the community where appropriate, and can provide an interpretation service when needed: call 0161 833 1772.
Anyone who is in the UK for 6 months or more in the tax year (April – March) has to pay tax and national insurance contributions out of their pay once they reach a certain level of earnings. When you get paid, your employer should give you a payslip which shows how much tax and national insurance have been taken from your pay. If your employer is not paying these contributions for you, then get advice from one of the organisations listed above.
At the end of the tax year, you will be given a form (called a P60) by your employer which shows all of your pay and your tax and national insurance contributions in the tax year. It is important to keep this document and your payslips safe. When you leave a job, you will be given a P45 form, which you will need to give to your next employer.
To pay national insurance you will need a National Insurance Number: call 0845 600 0643 for details on how to get this.
Jobs advertisements can be found in many different places. Local newspapers usually have a section advertising job vacancies and you can find copies of this your local library (external link)
Jobcentre Plus
The Jobcentre Plus website (external link)has a lot of information about finding work and is a good place to start your search. (This is also the place that you will go to if you are eligible to claim any benefits.)
The Wigan Jobcentre Plus office is at Brocol House, 71 King Street (tel. 01942 752100); the Leigh office is at Roydale House, 2-10 Windermere Road (tel. 01942 263700).
Anyone who lives in Wigan borough can use the borough’s skills shops. Skills shops offer the following kinds of support for people looking for work:
- Free advice and guidance on jobs
- Help and support, face-to-face and online
- Qualifications and training available
- Connexions service (for young people)
- Support with Maths and English
There are Skills Shops in different parts of the borough details for these are:
Wigan Skills Shop
Grand Arcade, Wigan. Tel: 01942 827826.
Opening Hours: 9 till 5pm Mon Tues Wed and Fri. Thursday opening hrs 9am to 8pm. Saturday 9am to 5pm.
Leigh Skills Shop
Market Street, Leigh.
Opening Hours Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm.
Marsh Green Drop in:
Marsh Green Library Harrow Road, Marsh Green WN5 0QL Tel: 01942 760041.
Opening Hours 9 till 5pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri.
Ince Drop in
Ince Library Smithy Green, Ince, Wigan, WN2 2AT. Tel: 01942 324423.
Opening Hours Monday and Thursday 9am to 5pm.
