The government is to increase the number of career development loans available for further education courses.
The government is to treble the number of Career Development Loans available over the next two years.
Some 30,000 new loans will be available for individuals to apply for in order to finance business training courses.
Plans were outlined in the government's New Opportunities White Paper, under which loans will be re-branded Professional and Career Development Loans.
Skills secretary, John Denham, explained that the new loans will be more attractive to employers and will provide access to better skills training.
He said: "Often in tougher times, people start to look at the options open to them in developing new skills or training up in something new.
"We know that as well as being more attractive to employers, people with better skills and higher levels of training will be better prepared to take advantage of new opportunities when the upturn comes."
The new proposals will make 45,000 new loans of up to £10,000 available for college and university courses, increasing from the limit of £8,000 currently available.
Mr Denham added that the improved loans would "help thousands of people to access the support they need to make a success of their careers and realise their full potential, especially those who fall outside groups who automatically receive financial support".
The white paper follows a government pledge of £83 million in funding to assist Britons that have been unemployed for more than six months into high-quality training places.
Up to 75,000 new training places are expected to be created under the scheme, forming part of a reshuffle of the further education provision in the UK.
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