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Receive £3000 More Support for Each New Apprenticeship
Did you know that your business could get an additional £3,000 for each new apprentice you take on?
The incentive payment is in addition to the £1,000 employers already receive for hiring an apprentice! So, that’s £4K for each apprentice – that’s a pretty good financial incentive and apprenticeships bring lots of other business benefits too.
But get your skates on as there’s limited time to take advantage – here’s everything you need to know.
What is the apprenticeship incentive scheme?
The government has pledged more money for apprenticeships as part of its “Build Back Better” post-Covid recovery plan.
The scheme, which offers additional funding to that already available for apprenticeships, is designed to encourage employers to take more apprentices on.
Employers of all sizes in England can make use of the scheme for new apprentices who have an employment start date between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021 (the actual apprenticeship must start before 30 November 2021).
Why was a new apprenticeship scheme launched?
The boost to the apprenticeship incentive scheme was confirmed by the Chancellor in the March 2021 Budget to help revolutionise skills and training across the country as part of the post-pandemic recovery.
Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the UK’s employment. The cash incentive to employers is part of the government’s Plan for Jobs enabling businesses to invest in the skilled workforce they need for the future.
In particular, the scheme recognises that young people have suffered as a result of COVID – almost two-thirds of people who have lost jobs during the pandemic are under 25. But if you want to know how to get funding for an apprentice you need to understand the basics.
What is an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job alongside study. Apprentices work with experienced staff to gain job-specific skills and also attend college or a training centre for at least 20% of working hours to study a role-related course.
Apprenticeships aren’t just for the young. Almost anyone can do them. Apprentices must be:
- 16 or over
- living in England – Scotland and Wales have similar but different schemes
- not in full-time education
Apprenticeships take 1 to 5 years to complete depending on their level. To qualify for the government funding, apprenticeships must last for at least 1 year.
How will apprenticeships help my business? Why should I take someone on?
There are many benefits of apprenticeships for employers. Skills Training UK has shown that apprenticeships are a great way of boosting productivity and competitiveness. Their industry research revealed that 77 per cent of employers have found taking on apprentices has helped to make their organisations more competitive, and that 8 out of 10 customers prefer to buy from companies employing an apprentice.
In addition, apprenticeships are a great way to train people according to your business needs. They give much greater control over training requirements and needs than employing someone after they have completed training courses independently.
Apprenticeships are also a cost-efficient way of filling skills gaps or preparing for upcoming developments in your industry. For example, the decarbonisation of heating will require a new generation of engineers. This will involve retraining existing staff. Apprenticeships are a great option for adding new team members and developing different skillsets.
How do I make use of the scheme?
Apprentice funding for small businesses can make a real difference. So, if you’ve decided to take advantage of the funding, how do you take on an apprentice?
First, you’ll need to register with the government’s apprenticeship service. Then you’ll be able to advertise vacancies, choose an approved apprenticeship training course and find a local training provider. The amount you get depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy or not (find out more here). You can find out more about the eligibility of funding for employers to take on apprentices here. It’s also worth noting that the small employer apprenticeship cap has also been increased from three to ten people.
And you can also recruit apprentices who have been made redundant from another employer. This means you may benefit from someone who already has knowledge, skills and behaviours that will add value to your organisation.
Workforce management
Building confidence, skills and experience in the workforce is no easy feat. To ensure new apprentice hires grow and develop into productive and happy employees, businesses need effective HR and a robust mentorship scheme in place, especially if apprentices will be spending some of their time out in the field. Here’s where Joblogic can help.
Joblogic’s workforce management software is an integrated HR solution that combines staff scheduling, time management and reporting functions into a central system. It incorporates field service management, human resource management, performance management and reporting, data collection, scheduling, labour forecasting and more.
And we have adapted our offer for different industries so for example our electrician software is designed specifically for electrical service businesses and contractors. We also have dedicated software for gas engineers. And our all-in-one management system for HVAC companies makes sure you have the tools you need to optimise workflow and provide the right support to apprentices and employees.