FINANCIAL INCENTIVE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTH WEST TO RECRUIT APPRENTICES
Small businesses in the South West with fewer than 10 employees are being offered the chance of starting the New Year with a £1000 bonus if they recruit an apprentice aged between 16 and 18.
FINANCIAL INCENTIVE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTH WEST TO RECRUIT
APPRENTICES
Small businesses in the South West with fewer than 10 employees are
being offered the chance of starting the New Year with a £1000 bonus if
they recruit an apprentice aged between 16 and 18.
The scheme has been launched by the National Apprenticeship Service
(NAS) as a way of encouraging firms to take on young people and train
them ‘on the job’ – developing the specific skills needed to make the
business more productive, profitable and competitive.
Small businesses which already employ a 16 to 18 year old are also
eligible for a £500 payment if they move that employee onto the
Apprenticeship programme.
A new dedicated Employer Services team within the NAS means that
managing the process of taking on an apprentice is even easier, with
support being provided from first enquiry to completion.
“Our job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly so that small
businesses maximise the benefits that Apprenticeships bring,” said Rob
Sly, Employer Services Director for the NAS in the South West. “We
understand that small business employers are very busy people who need
to see results when they try something new or different. That is why
we work hard to make that happen.”
A recent You Gov survey, commissioned by the National Apprenticeship
Service, revealed that 80 per cent of people in the South West are more
likely to use a business if it offers Apprenticeships to young people.
The research asked a sample of consumers in the South West what factors
they considered when buying products or services. It found that people
are just as keen to buy from a company that supports young people by
employing an apprentice as they are from a firm that has fair trade
agreements with its suppliers (81 per cent), or one that has strong
environmental credentials (79 per cent).
As well as highlighting the potential business benefits of employing an
apprentice, the research also shows local consumers’ resounding support
for young job seekers in today’s economic climate with 94 per cent of
people in the South West stating that they think it is important for
companies to take on apprentices during the recession.
John Chudley, NAS Regional Director, said:
“There is an increasingly large body of evidence to suggest that
Apprenticeships make a real difference to businesses in a variety of
different and very important ways.
“Small business employers can be wary of trying something new so we
have introduced this financial incentive to encourage them to take on
an apprentice. I’m sure that, once they’ve experienced the benefits
for themselves, they’ll be no looking back.”
The number of places available on the South West Micro Business
Employer Scheme is limited and employers will be selected on a first
come, first served basis. Apprenticeship vacancies can be advertised
free of charge on apprenticeships.org.uk
For more information contact the Project Team Coordinator, Christina
Gill, on 01793 608013 or email christina.gill@apprenticeships.gov.uk
Ends
30
December 2009
Notes to editors
Eligibility criteria for the South West Micro Business Employer Scheme
for 16-18 Apprentices are as follows:
· Employer must be a micro employer with 1-9 employees and be
based in the South West region
· Employer must not have taken on an apprentice within the last
18 months
· Employer will advertise the Apprenticeship vacancy on the
National Apprenticeships Vacancy Matching Service
Financial incentive:
· £1000 when the apprentice, recruited as a new employee, has
started their Apprenticeship
· £500 when the apprentice, already employed by the business,
has started their Apprenticeship
Sue Bradbury PR Tel: 01872 863863
National Apprenticeship Service (NAS)
The NAS was announced in January 2008 and officially launched in April
2009. Reporting to the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills
(BIS) and Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the service will drive
forward the Government’s ambition for Apprenticeships. The service aims
to bring about a significant growth in the number of employers offering
Apprenticeships.
The NAS will assume total responsibility for the delivery of
Apprenticeships that includes: Employer Services; Learner Services; and
a web-based vacancy matching system. This online system enables
individuals to search and apply for live vacancies and allows
employers, and their training providers to advertise their vacancies to
a wide range of interested applicants.
The service has ultimate accountability for the national delivery of
targets and co-ordination of the funding for Apprenticeship places. It
will act to overcome barriers to the growth of the programme and assume
responsibility for promoting Apprenticeships and their value to
employers, learners and the country as a whole.
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