Adult Skills Minister John Healey has announced that the £150 contribution available to anyone registering for an Individual Learning Account (ILA) will be withdrawn from the end of July.

Those looking to take advantage of the scheme will have until the 31st of this month to enrol on the training course they wish to use the contribution for. According to the ILA helpline, anyone who has already set up an account and has only used some of the £150 contribution so far will still be able to use the remainder of the money next time they enroll on a course.

More than 1.2 million people have opened an Individual Learning Account since they were launched last summer, with an average of 3,000 accounts being opened every day, according to the Department for Education and Skills. The DfES says that figures show more than half the people who have opened an ILA this year had not benefited from any other learning in the last three years, and one in six had no qualifications at all. Learners will still be able to open an account, which will continue to give them discounts on some types of training.

Anyone wishing to take advantage of the contribution before the end of the month should ring the ILA helpline on 0800 072 5678 or visit http://www.my-ila.com .