Vocational training has expanded recently to include accounting, information technology and other areas in addition to traditional trades and occupations. Minimum age for scholarships targeting older low income women begins at 21 to recognize the challenges of women who are older than traditional students and have families or are returning to school. The oldest minimum age is 40. To qualify as a low-income applicant, most organizations require proof of financial need, including detailed income statements. The Rankin Foundation uses Department of Labor low-income guidelines, which set low income in 2010 at $13,578 for a one-person household, up to $52,034 for a household of six.
The Soroptimist's Women's Opportunity Awards provide scholarships to women who have overcome poverty, alcoholism, abuse or other obstacles and are sole providers for their families. Award amounts vary and may be used for tuition, daycare or whatever is required to enable them to attend school.
Female members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America may qualify for a Cronk Opportunity Scholarship of about $1,000. Applicants must have been out of school for at least two years.
The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting offers several scholarships for women pursuing accounting degrees after working or raising children. The Women in Transition and Women in Need scholarships award up to $2,000 per year for two years to new, current or returning juniors. The Michelle L. McDonald Scholarship awards $1,000 to beginning accounting students.
Several scholarships target women 30 and older who are interested in a degree from a vocational-technical school. Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund is for women who graduated from high school or earned a GED at least 10 years before. Up to 10 $15,000 scholarships and one $30,000 scholarship are awarded based on need and achievements. The Jeannette Rankin Foundation awards scholarships to women 35 and older who are enrolled in or accepted to an accredited school and are U.S. citizens. The AARP Foundation's Women's Scholarship Program awards scholarships to women over 40 who are seeking new job skills and training to support themselves and their families. Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited school or vocational program.