If you recently lost your job and are considering going back to school, now might be a good time to open a new chapter in your life. 

Kilian Community College in Sioux Falls has teamed up with a local bank to make it easier. 

One of the hardest parts of going back to college for anyone, is paying for it.  But there's help.  Kilian Community College in Sioux Falls has established what's called the New Opportunities Fund.  Kilian will award tuition assistance to any recently unemployed worker who enrolls in two classes. 

"We just saw a real need to be able to help some of these people and hopefully hone in on their education and some skills so when the jobs start to filter back in these people are better prepared to fill those jobs and are better employees," Kilian Director of Development Wendy McDonnel said. 

The New Opportunities Fund is made possible thanks to a $6,000 donation from First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard. 

Six-thousand dollars may not sound like a lot of money, but Kilian officials say it'll be able to help 24 new students. 

"What it does is basically pays for a credit hour and through financial aid it's a nice chunk of money to be able to come in and take computer classes or a business management class something along those lines," McDonnel said. 

And with so many people looking for work these days, now might be the time to pad your resume. 

"Education is the one thing that's going to help you with those job skills and make you a better qualified candidate when those jobs open," McDonnel said.

The deadline to signup for the "New Opportunities Fund" is March 6. Kilian's spring semester classes start March 9.