College Offers Businesses Cash For Apprenticeships To Help More Young People Earn While They Learn

28 January 2010

Surrey businesses can take advantage of a new grant offered through Guildford College to help them employ and train more young people as the economy moves out of recession.

The College confirmed this week, ahead of National Apprenticeship|  Week from February 1 to 5, that it has successfully applied to offer grants of £2,500 to eligible employers recruiting 16 and 17 year old apprentices. Guildford College is the largest college apprenticeship training provider in Surrey.

The grant scheme| , on offer until the end of March 2010, has been introduced by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to encourage businesses to take on young apprentices, in line with government workforce strategy to get one in 10 young people onto apprenticeships. In National Apprenticeship Week the NAS is running a campaign to highlight the value of apprenticeships.

Guildford College Principal Clive Cooke said: “We are already experiencing a high demand from employers who want to receive the £2,500 to help them to afford to take on a new apprentice, so I am encouraging businesses to contact us immediately. Despite tough labour market conditions, demand for apprenticeships is high and about 350 young people started apprenticeship training with us last year. But there are still many more who want to earn while they learn and we are determined to make sure that the opportunities are there for them. Young people face particular issues in the current economic climate and we want to support them and train a new generation to help propel economic recovery while tackling youth unemployment.”

The grant is in addition to the cost of training, which for 16-17 year olds is already met by the National Apprenticeship Service. It will enable up to 5,000 employers nationally to create new places and take on an unemployed 16 or 17 year old apprentice immediately and potential employers should contact the College now to benefit from this new scheme.

To receive the grant, employers must commit to taking on a new or additional apprentice in paid employment for the duration of their training. The minimum apprenticeships wage requirement – £95 per week for 16-18 year olds – will apply. The grant is targeted at employers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises, who currently would not have been in a position to recruit an apprentice or who can offer more apprenticeship places than they would otherwise have done.

Guildford College offers apprenticeship training in subjects including accounting, activity leadership, amenity horticulture, bricklaying, business administration, carpentry and joinery, childcare, customer service, electrical installation, equine, plumbing, hairdressing, health and social care, hospitality, motor vehicle maintenance and IT.

Pam Eaton, Director of Workforce Development at Guildford College, says taking on an apprentice is a cost-effective way of gaining new employees and filling specific skills gaps. “As the recession recedes companies will be ready to expand again and apprenticeships will give them the skilled staff to support development plans. Traditionally, apprentices worked four days a week and then came into College on the fifth day for training but now some of our apprentices receive all their training in the workplace, so employers benefit from a full-time member of staff.”

R J Hodges Hair and Beauty of Dorking is one local company which believes the apprenticeship scheme is the best route for an all-round training. “It works brilliantly,” Mr Hodges said. “We talk all our needs through with Guildford College so we can develop the best training package.” Mr Hodges recently attended the College’s Presentation Evening to see employee Jacqueline Smith receive her certificate for successfully completing the Apprenticeship Programme.

Another local employer, Owen Philip, Operations Manager at The Fish Basket in Addleston said the benefits of employing a Customer Service apprentice were that “the training has given her more self-awareness of her abilities and skills and she is now more confident to go the extra mile to help the customer – she has also had a lot of help from the College Assessor.”

For more information about taking on an apprentice, or becoming an apprentice| , tel. 01483 448630

For general information about apprenticeships go to http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk|  

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