Who can take part?
The Turing Scheme is open to UK and British Overseas Territories organisations from across the education and training sectors. Each sector has different requirements, so do ensure you have read all the information carefully to understand which organisations and participants can take part in the programme.
Higher Education
Participating higher education providers must be officially registered or recognised Higher Education (HE) providers in the UK or British Overseas Territories.
As part of eligibility checking, the TSA will verify a HE provider’s registration or recognition status through the following methods:
- if in England, checking the Office for Students register
- if in Northern Ireland, checking the ‘Publishing and maintaining a list of higher education providers’ section of the Department for the Economy website
- if in Scotland, checking the Scottish Funding Council website for universities or colleges • if in Wales, checking the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales website
- if in a British Overseas Territory, checking they are registered with the appropriate authorities. Please see Annex D for a list of recognised education providers in British Overseas Territories.
Note that:
- Higher education consortia are not eligible to apply
- Grant Applications from transnational education (TNE) campuses are not eligible
- Turing Scheme funds cannot be used to travel from a sending UK based HE provider to its own overseas campuses.
To take part in an HE Turing Scheme Mobility, Participants must be:
- registered at a UK or British Overseas Territories HE provider and enrolled in studies leading to a recognised degree or another recognised HE qualification (up to and including the level of doctorate); or
- Recent HE Graduates of the Grant Recipient, who may participate in a traineeship and must carry out and complete their traineeship abroad within 12 months of graduating. Graduates do not need to be selected before they graduate.
Participants do not need to be UK nationals to be eligible to receive funding. For those Participants under the age of 18, appropriate safeguarding rules must be adhered to (please see Safeguarding section in the programme guide).
Further education and vocational education and training
The Applicant(s) for an FE and VET study and traineeship Mobility Project must be one or more of the following organisations:
- an FE college, school, sixth form college or special post-16 institution (SPI) active in the field of FE and VET
- a local or regional public authority, mayoral combined authority, coordination body or another organisation with a role in the field of FE and VET
- a company or other public or private organisation hosting, training or otherwise working with Participants and apprentices in FE and VET
- a company, charity or other public or private organisation applying on behalf of a consortium of FE and/or VET providers.
Where an Applicant is not a Direct Education Provider, evidence of a partnership with an education provider must be provided as part of the Grant Application.
For Applicants applying as part of a Mobility consortium, it must include at least one Direct Education Provider active in the field of FE or VET studies.
A Mobility consortium can include organisations that provide administrative support to other Consortium Members.
Organisations may be included as part of more than one consortium application, provided that the Mobilities undertaken relate to different aims and objectives.
The role and obligations of supporting administrative organisations must be formally defined in the application form. All contributions of supporting administrative organisations must comply with the scheme rules. Subcontracting to third parties not identified in the application form is not permitted. If subcontracting rule breaches are identified during a Project lifecycle, then funding may be withdrawn.
FE and VET providers in the UK can send their Participants to the following receiving organisations outside of the UK (or in the case of Applicants in British Overseas Territories, outside of the British Overseas Territory in question):
- any public or private organisation active in the field of further education or vocational education and training
- any public or private organisation active in the labour market or in the fields of education and training. For example, such an organisation can be:
- a public or private, a small, medium, or large enterprise (including social enterprises)
- a public body at local, regional, or national level o a social partner or other representative of working life, including chambers of commerce, craft, professional associations, trade unions and research institutes
- a foundation
- a school/institute/educational centre (at any level, from primary school to upper secondary education, and including vocational education and adult education)
- a non-profit organisation, association, non-governmental organisation (NGO)
- a body providing career guidance, professional counselling, and information services.
- Participants on recognised UK or BOT FE or VET courses, apprenticeships, and T-Levels
- a Recent Graduate of a FE or VET provider
- those not in permanent education or training, who may be re-training or upskilling, if their training is taking place through colleges or schools, or through government-funded training
- persons accompanying FE or VET Participants abroad for safeguarding purposes.
The Turing Scheme will offer Mobility funding for:
- Participants on recognised UK FE or VET courses, apprenticeships, and T-Levels
- a Recent Graduate of a FE or VET provider
- those not in permanent education or training, who may be re-training or upskilling, if their training is taking place through colleges or schools, or through government-funded training
- persons accompanying FE or VET Participants abroad for safeguarding purposes.
Schools
To apply for schools projects, your organisation must be registered in the UK or a British Overseas Territory and either:
- A school providing general, vocational, or technical education on any level from primary school to upper secondary education
- A national school consortium applying on behalf of a number of schools, for example, local or regional authorities, Multi-Academy Trust, school coordinating bodies or a social enterprise or other organisations with a role in the field of school education
Lead organisations or coordinating organisations can be organisations such as a regional body, local authority, school coordinating body, social enterprise, a Multi Academy Trust, or a school/ college who can act as an Applicant on behalf of other sending organisations. A consortium application must include at least one Direct Education Provider active in the field of primary to upper secondary education.
- Coordinating organisations must explain their role, obligations and relationship with the organisations sending Participants in the application form.
- Appropriate checks will be carried out to confirm the status of the coordinating organisation.
- All contributions of supporting administrative organisations must comply with the scheme rules.
- Organisations may be included as part of more than one consortium application, provided that the Mobilities undertaken relate to different aims and objectives.
Any pupil enrolled in an eligible school or college participating in education from primary to upper secondary level in the UK or a British Overseas Territories can participate.
- note the minimum age for Participants to take part in the Turing Scheme is four years old, in line with the minimum compulsory age for a child to enter full time formal education across the UK
- for school pupil Mobilities longer than two months, the participant should be aged at least 14
- no maximum age limit is imposed
- for Participants under the age of 18, appropriate safeguarding rules must be adhered to
- pupils do not need to be UK nationals to be eligible for the scheme
- there is no minimum or maximum number of Participants per Project.
Related information
Latest news
Season’s greetings from the Turing Scheme team
You will be able to contact our Service Centre during the festive period, but advisors will not be working Bank Holidays.
Turing Scheme 2023 to 2024 – project management tasks and tips
Stay on top of these regular Turing Scheme administrative tasks to make sure that you receive funding payments on time and help your projects and mobilities to run smoothly.
Support guides now available for Turing Scheme 2023 to 2024
Beneficiaries of 2023 to 2024 Turing Scheme funding can now access a range of guides and supporting videos
