Travel and accommodation assistance grants

On this page:

• Purpose
• Selection criteria
• Grant application
• Reimbursement claim form
• Policy criteria
• Employer assistance with travel and accomodation

Purpose

The travel and accommodation assistance grant is designed to help trainees working in areas 100km or more away from the nearest Skills Matter funded training programme.

The grant is intended to contribute to the costs of attending the formal teaching component of the training programme.  It is not intended to cover all travel and accommodation costs.

The funding is limited; applying does not guarantee that your application will be successful.

Selection criteria

Application for the Travel and Accommodation Assistance Grant is open to any person who is:

• a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident (proof may be required)
• enrolled and attending a Skills Matter funded training programme
• employed more than 100km from the nearest Skills Matter funded programme offered.
• employed within an organisation that delivers MentalHhealth and Addiction services within New Zealand
• employed for 0.6 Full Time Equivalent or greater
• not in receipt of any other grant or scholarship which covers travel and accommodation.

Grant application

Applications for 2012 grants are now closed.

Reimbursement claim form

If you were successful in your grant application, you will be able to submit receipts twice over the course of your programme for reimbursement of expenses incurred. Reimbursement claim forms will be processed twice a year as follows.

Reimbursement claim form 1 will cover expenses incurred between 1 March - 30 June 2012 inclusive. The deadline for submission of receipts for this period is Friday 13 July 2012.    

Reimbursement claim form 2 will cover expenses incurred from 1 July - 30 November 2012 inclusive. The deadline for submission of receipts for this period is Tuesday 4 December 2012.

Please note that the purpose of this initial application form is not to apply for reimbursement of expenses. It is to determine whether or not you are eligible to receive a Skills Matter Travel and Accommodation Assistance Grant.

Travel and Accommodation Assistance Grant: Policy criteria

There are a number of criteria considered by Skills Matter in making funding decisions regarding travel assistance for trainees enrolled on Skills Matter-funded programmes:

The grant assists with expenses relating to:

• accommodation costs of up to $100 per night (including GST if any)
• airport shuttles
• buses
• flights
• petrol costs (not mileage).  Please note this is a change from 2010 where mileage was paid.

The grant will not cover any other expenses, including without limitation, expenses relating to:

• meals
• parking costs
• reading material
• taxis
• telephone charges.

1. All claims must be accompanied by proof of payment (original receipts) including claims for petrol (petrol claims without original receipts will not be accepted). Proof of payment includes receipts for accommodation and evidence of travel (itineraries showing dates of travel).

2. A trainee who has use of an employer vehicle (for example a DHB car) to travel to the training programme will not be eligible for assistance with transport costs from the Skills Matter travel and accommodation assistance grant.

3. In the case of car-pooling to attend Skills Matter-funded training, only one person will be able to apply to Skills Matter for reimbursement of transport costs.

4. Any trainee who receives other grants or scholarships to cover travel or accommodation costs will not be eligible for assistance through the Skills Matter travel and accommodation assistance grants. The exception to this is when the trainee receives other grants or scholarships that are a contribution from the trainee’s employer to cover the shortfall between a trainee’s actual costs and what Skills Matter has allocated for the trainee.

5. Reimbursement will not be made to trainees who do not attend the formal teaching component (blocks) of their courses.

6. Trainees who join Skills Matter-funded programmes after the deadline for applications (30 April 2012) will not be eligible to apply for the Skills Matter travel and accommodation assistance grant.

7. The grant will only apply to trainees who work at a location which is geographically remote from the training location where an equivalent Skills Matter-funded programme is not offered at any closer location.

8. In 2012 there will be four bands of grants, based on distance travelled from a trainee's workplace to the nearest Skills Matter-funded training programme:

9. Estimates are provided above to give an indication of the maximum likely to be available for each grant band for 2012. Once all travel and accommodation grant applications have been received, Skills Matter will be able to confirm the maximum amount applicants can claim in each band. Skills Matter will inform applicants of the maximum amount that will be available after the application deadline of 30 April 2012.

10. Skills Matter reserves the right to alter, from time to time, the maximum amount above or any other sums set out in these guidelines or in the website.

11. The Skills Matter travel and accommodation assistance fund is a finite fund. Applying for travel and accommodation assistance grant does not guarantee that applications will be accepted.

12. Skills Matter will determine the eligibility of applications and that determination is final.

13. Under special circumstances applications may be made for unexpected travel costs (i.e. air travel). Reimbursement will be at the discretion of Skills Matter.

Employer assistance with travel and accommodation

If your employer is supporting your studies by assisting with travel and accommodation costs they can still claim reimbursement from Skills matter provided that you are eligible. To complete this process you will need to apply online in order to meet our eligibility criteria. Your employer also needs to complete the Travel and Accommodation Assistance Grant: Criteria for reimbursement form for all employees they are supporting.