By Justin Parkinson BBC News Online education staff

What happens if you are 19 and have not completed your GCSEs, A-levels or vocational education?

Mohamed Ahmed had to leave education at 17 for family reasons

Not a lot, if you are unable to support yourself.

Currently, those from poorer families under this age receive free tuition and weekly grants of �30 to continue in full-time study.

The cut-off point at 19 means those who have left education early for personal reasons are in trouble if they want to restart.

Housing benefit is also only available to those who study for fewer than 16 hours a week.

In an effort to end this anomaly, the government's Skills White Paper is expected to increase the age range for grants and free tuition for full-time courses.

Course costs

To the Foyer Federation, which offers support for those aged 16 to 25 who want to enter full-time education, this is long overdue.

At its branch in Croydon, south London, Mohamed Ahmed, 21, is taking an access course in maths and science. He wants to read biochemistry at university next year.

Three years ago, Mohamed had to leave college because of family problems, only returning at 19.

Foyer provides accommodation and college funding for 10,000 people.

Without this, the system would fail Mohamed's ambitions, as his course would cost �750 a year.

What's the point of making people stay on benefit for four years, so they can study slowly enough to justify their housing costs? Carolyn Hayman, Foyer Foundation

He said: "If I had wanted to go to university and put the time in for my work, I couldn't have done so. This was because of the money.

"When I went to Foyer, I started what they call a Crisis Life Change course. It helps people in situations like mine, who have had to pull out of further education.

"Without it, the government is failing people who want to grow and reach out to achieve more and help society.

"It is making it more difficult for exactly the sort of people it should be supporting.

"Foyer is doing very good stuff. It's focused on getting people's education kick-started. It's a dream.

"There should be something like this for everyone in the country who is in a similar position. There are thousands more like me. It just that it needs something to be done."

Unfilled vacancies

Foyer has campaigned for a Further Education Maintenance Allowance to be made available for those aged 19 to 30.

It wants this to be set at �30 a week for those living at home and �60 for those on their own, who would not receive housing benefit.

This, it says, would cost the Department for Education and Skills an average of �6,116 per person for two years.

Adult learners can face substantial money pressures

Over 15 years, it is estimated the extra skills would benefit the economy by �13,817.

More than seven million adults in the UK have no qualification at GCSE level or equivalent.

One in five job vacancies remain unfilled because of a shortage of skilled workers.

Foyer's chief executive, Carolyn Hayman, said: "The system as it stands is completely irrational.

"What's the point of making people stay on benefit for four years, so they can study slowly enough to justify their housing costs? They could study full-time.

"The ideal situation would be to get rid of the restriction on claiming housing benefit while they are studying full-time.

"We could have two on lower income. One watches daytime TV and little else, but gets housing benefit.

"The other does a full-time course aimed at getting a job, but they are excluded from benefit. In other words, we are penalising these people.