Small and medium sized businesses will receive more support
to offer apprenticeships after the Government today announced plans to enable
increased access to funding. Employers will also receive a new level of support
from the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).
Government confirmed an extension of the Apprenticeship
Grant for employers of 16-24 year olds to March 2014. The £1,500 grant is
available to help businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees take on an
apprentice.
The grant funding was initially only available during the
2012/13 financial year, but it has been extended following a positive response
from employers. The level of funding available under the grant has also been
increased, so eligible employers can claim the grant for up to ten apprentices.
Business secretary, Vince Cable said: "I know it can be
a big decision for busy, small companies to take on an apprentice. Employers
may be concerned about the time recruitment and training will take, and anxious
about how it will work. So the £1,500 grant is a token to acknowledge this and
thank employers.
"I hope many more people will take us up on our cash
incentive to grow their business, and train up the workforce of the
future."
David Way, chief executive of the NAS, said: "We know
that many businesses believe Apprenticeships deliver the skills needed for
growth so we are delighted AGE 16-24 has been positively received by employers
for helping them to do just that.
"Apprenticeships come with a guarantee of quality,
giving young people a job with training, and are proven to deliver a
significant return on investment, so this really is a win-win initiative for
employers."
Way added: "There has never been a better time to
recruit an apprentice, so I hope more organisations will look at how they can
benefit from this grant over the coming 12 months and reap the rewards of a
more motivated, skilled and qualified workforce."
To further support businesses, the NAS has announced a
minimum level of support employers can expect from the Service. A new service
standard offers an end-to-end commitment by NAS to responsiveness during
initial call handling, to analysing need, referral to providers and an
after-service follow up review from their dedicated team.
Providers who receive referrals as part of the service from
the NAS will by implication also be signing up to the minimum expectations
especially in terms of responding promptly to the referred employers, posting
information to the apprenticeship vacancies system and in terms of ongoing
support that will be monitored by NAS.
Source: 9 January 2013, HR Magazine by Tom Newcombe
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