UNISON members are joining students, staff and other trade unions for lunchtime protests today, as part of their campaign to save the education maintenance allowance (EMA).
Colleges and sixth-forms around the country are holding the protests against government plans to axe financial support that can be a decisive factor in whether students stay on in education.
Protestors will also be contacting their local MP to make the case for keeping the EMA.
The recent Education at a Glance report, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), revealed that the UK has one of the worst participation rates for 15-19 year-olds in education.
Studies show that the EMA is a key factor in improving participation in further education and colleges and some of the most deprived areas of the UK will be the hardest hit if the government breaks its pre-election promise and scraps support.
In some areas of Birmingham, Leicester and the North West, as many as four-fifths of students receive the EMA.
The campaign is being run by UNISON, with the National Union of Students (NUS), the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the University and College Union (UCU), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), NASUWT, Unite, GMB and the Save EMA campaign.
UNISON general secretary, Dave Prentis, said: