Are you studying but struggling to afford essential materials like textbooks or driving lessons? Or perhaps you're looking to change careers and need tools, or you're ready to launch your own business but need help purchasing the right equipment?

The Northern Housing Consortium’s ‘Unlocking Success’ bursary could be the support you need.

With several customers already achieving their goals thanks to this bursary, now is the perfect time to apply and join the growing number of success stories!

What is the ‘Unlocking Success’ Bursary Scheme? 

Funded through the Northern Housing Consortium Charitable Trust, the ‘Unlocking Success Bursary Scheme’ awards bursaries to help tenants to develop their learning and skills to support their future employment.Halton Housing are members of the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) who represent the views of over 90% of housing providers across the North of England. 

Previous success stories

Last year, two customers were awarded bursaries. A former aspiring footballer and a single mother pursuing nursing are using their bursaries to fund essential career tools—like a CSCS card, driving lessons, and a laptop—to support their new professional paths.

In 2021, a customer was successfully awarded £500 to help purchase barbering materials to support him in his college course.  such as spare clipper blades, razor blades, and other shaving products to complete a college course. 

Back in 2020, with the help of our Customer Engagement Team, a customer was successful in securing the £500 bursary to help purchase a new laptop to allow her to continue her studies. Read her story now. 

The NHC have launched their third round of the Unlocking Success Bursary Scheme and applications are now open to customers who may wish to apply for a bursary to help develop their learning and skills to support future employment. 

Who can apply? 

The scheme is open to our customers* aged 16 or over, who must use the grant to enhance skills to further development.  

Customers already on apprenticeship programmes, or any waged training, are deemed to be supported through their employment, rather than in self-funded education and are not eligible for this grant. 

*Applicants are not required to be named on the tenancy agreement and could be family of the named tenant so long as you are living at the same home. 

What can it fund? 

A bursary award can support with the cost of the learning itself, or if customers are already involved in an area of learning it can help to fund: 

• Books 
• Equipment 
• Travel costs
• Childcare 
• Living costs

How to apply?

If you wish to apply, please email involved@haltonhousing.co.uk and tell us in your own words, how the bursary could make a difference to you. Your pitch should outline: 

• What skills or learning you are planning to do 
• What the grant money will be spent on  
  (e.g. part fund the training cost, travel pass, laptop or learning materials etc) 
• What difference the grant will make to your ability to complete the training; and
• What you hope to be able to do as a result being able to complete the training 

It can be submitted either in writing (max 250 words) or a short video (no longer than 2 minutes). Our Customer Engagement Team can do the rest and complete the application form on your behalf. 

Please submit your application to us by 5pm on Monday 16th June 2025. This will allow us to process it in time to meet the NHC's deadline of Monday 30th June 2025. 

To find out more about the Unlocking Success scheme visit: https://bursary.northern-consortium.org.uk/#whocanapply.