Enhanced Learning Credits
ELCAS approved CompTIA Security+ course
CompTIA Security+ training funded through your Enhanced Learning Credits. Here is exactly what a claim covers and what you would pay yourself.
The CompTIA Security+ programme costs £469 and is delivered by Course2Career, ELCAS approved provider 14012. Enhanced Learning Credits pay 80 per cent of the fee up to your tier cap.
On higher tier ELC pays £375.20 and you pay £93.80. On lower tier ELC pays £375.20 and you pay £93.80.
Certifications are awarded by CompTIA, never by us, so what you earn carries the same weight with an employer as it would from any other provider.
What you would pay, at each tier
Worked out in full on the £469 price. One claim, whichever tier you are on.
£93.80
Your cost on higher tier
Eight or more years of eligible service since 1 April 2000.
- Course fee £469
- 80% of the fee is £375.20
- ELC pays £375.20
- You pay £93.80
£93.80
Your cost on lower tier
Six or more years, or four years completed before 1 April 2017.
- Course fee £469
- 80% of the fee is £375.20
- ELC pays £375.20
- You pay £93.80
This uses one of your three ELC claims. You cannot use ELC to cover your own 20 per cent contribution, though many service leavers put resettlement funding towards it.
Why this one suits service leavers
This is the certification most commonly listed as a requirement on entry level UK security job adverts. If you are aiming at a cyber role and can only spend one claim, this is usually the one that opens the most doors.
What it covers: Threats, vulnerabilities, security operations, identity and access, risk and compliance. The core knowledge expected of a junior security professional.
Exams: Covers the Security+ exam. Confirm with us whether the exam voucher is included in your quote before you submit a claim.
Where you need to be starting from: CompTIA recommends Network+ and around two years of IT administration experience with a security focus. Many service leavers arrive with relevant operational security experience instead, which counts for more than people expect.
Where it leads: Junior Cyber Security Analyst, SOC Analyst, Security Technician.
What the roles pay: UK roles citing cyber security skills have a median of £60,000, with the bottom 10 per cent around £30,000. Source: ITJobsWatch, permanent vacancies, six months to 6 July 2026. A median is not a starting salary, and certification improves your chances of being considered rather than setting your pay. Anyone promising you a specific figure is promising something they cannot know.
Full programme detail, syllabus and included certifications are on the CompTIA Security+ programme page.
What you will actually study
The published exam domains, so you can see exactly what you would be studying rather than a marketing summary of it.
Domain 1
General security concepts
Security controls, fundamental concepts, change management and cryptographic solutions.
Domain 2
Threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations
Threat actors, attack surfaces, indicators of malicious activity and mitigation techniques.
Domain 3
Security architecture
Architecture models, securing enterprise infrastructure, protecting data and building resilience.
Domain 4
Security operations
Hardening, asset management, vulnerability management, monitoring, identity and access management, and incident response.
Domain 5
Security programme management
Governance, risk management, third party risk, compliance, audits and security awareness.
Exam domains are set by CompTIA, not by us, and they are revised periodically. Check the current objectives on CompTIA's own site before you sit, and ask us which version your materials cover.
How the course actually runs
Online and self paced, which for service leavers is the whole point. No block release, no travel, and no fixed classroom dates to defend against a resettlement timeline that keeps moving.
Study when you can, not when we say
Materials and video lectures available 24 hours a day from any device. Fit study around duty, deployment, resettlement appointments and family. Nobody marks you absent.
Video lectures and written materials
Structured modules combining video instruction with written material you can go back to. Self paced, typically 60 to 90 hours of study. Pause, rewind and repeat a module as often as you need.
Hands on labs
Practical exercises in a live environment rather than theory alone. This is what separates someone who can pass the exam from someone who can do the job, and it is exactly what interviewers probe.
Practice tests before the real thing
Assessments as you go, so you know whether you are ready rather than hoping. Booking the exam too early is the most common reason people fail a CompTIA exam first time.
If you are deploying or at sea
Tell us before you enrol rather than afterwards. Connectivity, watch patterns and operational commitments all change how you should plan the course, and it is far easier to build that in at the start than to ask for an extension later. If your circumstances mean self paced online study genuinely will not work for you, we would rather say so than take the enrolment.
Tutor and mentor support
Self paced does not mean on your own. This is the part that decides whether people finish, and it is the difference between a course and a folder of videos.
Tutor support on the technical content
When a concept will not go in, you ask a tutor rather than losing a fortnight to a forum thread. Subnetting, cryptography and the parts of networking that make no sense until somebody explains them a different way are exactly what tutors are for.
A mentor for the direction, not the syllabus
Separate from tutoring. Someone to talk to about whether you are on the right pathway, what comes after this certification, how to sequence your remaining ELC claims, and whether the role you are aiming at is realistic from where you are standing.
Exam readiness guidance
When to book, what the format is like, and how to approach performance based questions rather than multiple choice alone. We would rather you sat it once, properly prepared, than twice.
If you fall behind
Tell us early rather than going quiet. Operational commitments derail study plans constantly and it is a normal thing to work around, not something to be embarrassed about. What makes it hard to fix is leaving it six months.
How to claim for this course
- Check your tier and remaining claimsEligible service since 1 April 2000, how many of your three claims you have left, and whether you are inside your claim window after discharge.
- Ask us for a written quoteWe put the full fee, the ELC portion and your contribution in writing before you submit anything.
- Submit the claimThrough the ELCAS members area, or on a form signed by your Education Staff or Single Service Representative. MOD guidance says at least 25 clear working days before the start date.
- Send us the Claim Authorisation NoteWe invoice the MOD for the funded portion once we have it.
- Pay your contribution and startAccess is issued once your £93.80 or £93.80 is settled, depending on your tier.
Do not pay for this course before your claim is approved
Retrospective claims are not permitted. If you pay first and claim afterwards, the claim is refused and there is no route back. Wait for the Claim Authorisation Note.
Other ELCAS funded courses
Same funding rules, different destinations.
Cyber Security Career Programme
£1,857 full price. £371.40 after a higher tier claim.
ELCAS costsCompTIA A+
£529 full price. £105.80 after a higher tier claim.
ELCAS costsCompTIA Network+
£449 full price. £89.80 after a higher tier claim.
ELCAS costsSee all ELCAS approved courses and the entitlement calculator.
Common questions
How much does the CompTIA Security+ programme cost with ELCAS funding?
The full price is £469. On higher tier, ELC pays £375.20 and you pay £93.80. On lower tier, ELC pays £375.20 and you pay £93.80. Each of those uses one of your three claims.
Is the CompTIA Security+ programme ELCAS approved?
Yes. It is delivered by Course2Career, a trading name of Course Correct Ltd, ELCAS approved provider 14012, and the certifications are awarded by CompTIA at Level 3 or above.
How much ELCAS funding can I get?
ELC pays 80 per cent of the course fee, up to your tier cap. Lower tier is capped at £1,000 per claim and higher tier at £2,000 per claim. You must pay a minimum of 20 per cent of the fee yourself, and you cannot use ELC to cover that 20 per cent.
How many years of service do I need?
Lower tier requires at least six years of eligible service. Higher tier requires at least eight years. The six year rule came in under the 2016 Order: if you had already completed four years of eligible service before 1 April 2017, you qualify for lower tier on the old four year threshold. Only service accumulated since 1 April 2000 counts.
Do I need to register for ELC before I leave?
No, not any more, and a lot of provider websites are still out of date on this. The Armed Forces (Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme and Further and Higher Education Commitment Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2016 removed the registration requirement. Members of the armed forces are automatically enrolled in the ELC Scheme once they have completed Phase 1 training.
How many claims do I get?
Three in total, and only one per financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. Plan the order you use them in, because you cannot get a claim back once it is spent.
Can I still claim after I have left the forces?
Yes, within five years of your discharge date. If you left before 1 April 2016 you have ten years. Check your own date against this rather than assuming, because the window changed.
Can I claim for a course I have already paid for?
No. Retrospective claims are not permitted under any circumstances. The claim has to be approved before the course starts, so speak to us before you pay for anything.
How far in advance do I need to claim?
Submit the claim well before your course start date. MOD guidance for Service personnel states claims should be submitted at least 25 clear working days beforehand. Build in more time than you think you need, because an incomplete form goes back to you and the clock keeps running.
Which courses qualify for ELC funding?
ELC funding is only available for higher level learning, meaning courses leading to a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Level 6 or above on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, or an approved international equivalent. The course must also be delivered by an approved provider listed on the ELCAS website.
Can I use my resettlement grant for the 20 per cent?
Many service leavers do use other resettlement funding towards their personal contribution. What you cannot do is use ELC itself to cover the 20 per cent, because the scheme requires a genuine personal contribution. Check the specific rules of any other fund with your Education Staff or Service Leaver representative before relying on it.
Not sure which tier you are on, or how many claims you have left?
Tell us your service dates and what you want to end up doing. We will tell you which tier you qualify for, what a claim would actually cover on each course, and whether ELC is even the right fund for your situation. No obligation, and if a different provider or route suits you better we will say so.
Course2Career is a trading name of Course Correct Ltd, ELCAS approved provider 14012. Full accreditations, registrations and terms are on our credentials and evidence page. Official scheme guidance is published at enhancedlearningcredits.com, and where anything on this page differs from theirs, theirs is correct.