Re-training for a new career. Any help out there?

[chicaguapa]

My dd is now 20 mths and I'm thinking about going back to work and a career change. I used to work in London in the financial industry but now live in the Lake District (few prospects here!) and want a change of direction.

I would like to become a teaching assistant and I know I'll need to go to a FE college & a placement to become qualified. At this stage in our family planning (young dd and wanting another in a few years) I want few outside responsibilities and becoming a teacher per se isn't really what I want at this stage.

I don't need to work financially as my dh's salary is just enough to support us. My dd is already at a nursery 1 day a week which is paid for by the child benefit & tax credit. But our finances wouldn't cope with paying for another day or two in a nursery while I work for free at a placement for a year or two!

My question really is if there is any financial help that I could receive from some government initiative to enable people like myself returning to work from maternity leave to re-train to absorb some of the financial pressure??