Enhanced Learning Credits
ELCAS approved cyber security course
Cyber Security Career Programme training funded through your Enhanced Learning Credits. Here is exactly what a claim covers and what you would pay yourself.
The Cyber Security Career Programme programme costs £1,857 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 £1,485.60 and you pay £371.40. On lower tier ELC pays £1,000 and you pay £857.
Certifications are awarded by CompTIA and Microsoft, 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 £1,857 price. One claim, whichever tier you are on.
£371.40
Your cost on higher tier
Eight or more years of eligible service since 1 April 2000.
- Course fee £1,857
- 80% of the fee is £1,485.60
- ELC pays £1,485.60
- You pay £371.40
£857
Your cost on lower tier
Six or more years, or four years completed before 1 April 2017.
- Course fee £1,857
- 80% of the fee is £1,485.60
- ELC pays £1,000 (capped at £1,000)
- You pay £857
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
Security clearance experience, operational discipline and a habit of following procedure under pressure map directly onto security operations work. A great many UK security analysts came out of the forces, and employers in this sector actively look for that background.
What it covers: Nine courses taken in sequence: CompTIA ITF+, A+, Network+, Security+ and CySA+, alongside UNIX Administration, Introduction to Python Programming, and Microsoft AZ-900 and SC-900. This is the same complete training package as our standard Cyber Security Career Programme, with practical experience on live equipment, a personalised study plan on request, 12 months of access and the same recruitment support. Three official exams are included in the ELCAS price: Network+, Security+ and CySA+.
Exams: Three official exams are included in the ELCAS programme price: CompTIA Network+, Security+ and CySA+. The training for every other course in the programme is included in full, but their exams are not, and they can be added separately.
Where you need to be starting from: None. Built for complete beginners and career changers, including service leavers with no IT background at all. It initially follows the same path as our IT Technician programme.
Where it leads: Trainee Cyber Security Analyst, Security Technician, SOC Analyst.
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, which is where career changers realistically start. 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 Cyber Security Career Programme programme page.
What you will actually study
Nine courses, taken in order, spanning CompTIA, Microsoft, Linux and Python. This is exactly the same training as our standard Cyber Security Career Programme. The only difference on the ELCAS route is which official exams are included in the price, marked on each course below.
Course 1
CompTIA ITF+
IT fundamentals. Infrastructure, applications and software, software development concepts, database fundamentals and security basics. The starting point if you have never worked in IT, and the reason complete beginners can take this programme at all.
Training included, exam extraCourse 2
CompTIA A+
Hardware, operating systems, troubleshooting, mobile devices, networking basics and operational procedures across the two Core exams. The foundation every IT support and security role is built on.
Training included, exam extraCourse 3
CompTIA Network+
Networking concepts, implementation, operations, security and troubleshooting. You cannot secure a network you do not understand, and skipping this is why people stall later on Security+.
Official exam includedCourse 4
UNIX Administration
Command line, file systems, permissions, users and processes on UNIX and Linux systems. A very large share of servers and security tooling runs on Linux, and comfort at a terminal is one of the clearest dividing lines between candidates in interviews.
Training included, exam extraCourse 5
Introduction to Python Programming
Syntax, data types, control flow, functions and working with files and data. Not to make you a developer, but because scripting is how analysts automate the repetitive parts of the job, and Python appears constantly in UK security job adverts.
Training included, exam extraCourse 6
Microsoft AZ-900, Azure Fundamentals
Cloud concepts, core Azure services, management and governance, and pricing. Most UK organisations you would work for run on Azure, so understanding the platform is no longer optional for a security role.
Training included, exam extraCourse 7
Microsoft SC-900, Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals
Security, compliance and identity concepts across Microsoft solutions, including identity and access management, Microsoft security solutions and compliance capabilities. The natural companion to AZ-900 on the security side.
Training included, exam extraCourse 8
CompTIA Security+
General security concepts, threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations, security architecture, security operations and programme management. The certification most often named directly in entry level UK security job adverts.
Official exam includedCourse 9
CompTIA CySA+
Security operations, vulnerability management, incident response and management, and reporting and communication. The working skills of a security operations analyst rather than the theory.
Official exam includedWhy the exams differ from our standard programme
You receive the complete training package either way. Every course above is included in full, with the same materials, the same labs and the same tutor support as anyone paying the standard programme price.
What differs is exam entitlement. The ELCAS programme includes three official exams, Network+, Security+ and CySA+, which are the three that carry the most weight on a cyber security CV and the three UK employers actually ask for by name. The other six courses are included as full training. If you want to sit their exams too, ITF+, A+, AZ-900 or SC-900, those can be added separately and we will quote you before you claim. We would rather set that out here than have you discover it at booking.
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. 140 to 150 hours of structured, accredited training across all nine courses. 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.
Recruitment support, included in the programme
The same recruitment support that runs on our other career programmes. It starts once your exams are passed, because a CV is a great deal easier to write when there are certifications on it.
- Professional CV review and rebuildMilitary CVs fail civilian screening for predictable reasons: rank and trade names that mean nothing outside the forces, acronyms nobody decodes, and real achievements buried underneath a list of duties. We rewrite it so a civilian hiring manager can see what you actually did and why it matters to them.
- LinkedIn profile guidanceA large share of UK IT and security recruitment starts with a recruiter searching LinkedIn. Being findable for the right terms matters more than most applicants realise, and it is one of the quickest things to fix.
- Interview preparationTechnical and competency questions, how to talk credibly about lab work when you have not yet held the job title, and how to translate service experience into examples a civilian panel recognises without drowning them in acronyms.
- Job application supportIdentifying the right roles, working out what an advert is really asking for, and applying consistently rather than in bursts. Consistency beats volume in this market.
- Ongoing support after the programmeIf you have met the programme conditions and have not secured a role, our recruitment support and career coaching continue. Clause 12 of our terms sets out exactly what that commits us to, and the conditions attached.
What recruitment support is not
We are not your employer and we cannot compel any company to hire you. Recruitment support improves how you present yourself and how consistently you apply, and it does not guarantee an interview or an offer. Our guarantee is a continued support commitment rather than a cash refund, and we say that here rather than leaving you to find it in the terms later.
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 £371.40 or £857 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.
CompTIA 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 costsCompTIA Security+
£469 full price. £93.80 after a higher tier claim.
ELCAS costsSee all ELCAS approved courses and the entitlement calculator.
Common questions
How much does the Cyber Security Career Programme programme cost with ELCAS funding?
The full price is £1,857. On higher tier, ELC pays £1,485.60 and you pay £371.40. On lower tier, ELC pays £1,000 and you pay £857. Each of those uses one of your three claims.
Is the Cyber Security Career Programme 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 and Microsoft 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.