County Council approves £1.5million investment in apprenticeships
"We have shown by committing this funding for the next five years that we are dedicated to ensuring that the future workforce of Warwickshire has the skills needed for our local economy."
Warwickshire County Council has underlined its commitment to apprenticeships with a further investment of £1.5million over the next five years.
The funding will go towards new initiatives designed to strengthen support for businesses, organise more apprenticeship fairs, help over 50s to reskill and create more Inclusive Apprenticeships aimed at young people with SEND.
An annual investment of £300,000 in each of the next five years, will power a range of new projects:
- A dedicated Future Skills Advisor role to work with businesses to ensure that training provides apprentices with the right skills for the job market and to identify key trends and emerging opportunities.
- Future Skills & Apprenticeship Fairs: to provide at least one fair in each district and borough with the objective of engaging with over 2,000 students and job seekers across the five events.
- Employer Salary Grants to support small businesses with the salary cost of apprentices for the first three months of the apprenticeship as well as costs of specialists providing industry-specific training at colleges.
- Barrier Breaking: Labour market intelligence shows an increasing number of Over 50s who are unemployed and looking to explore new pathways into work and gain new skills. This project will work with at least 40 businesses to generating at least 50 apprenticeship opportunities each year.
- Creation of 25 Inclusive Apprenticeships each year in line with the council’s commitment to increase the accessibility of apprenticeships, particularly for young people and adults with SEND.
The new projects will supplement Warwickshire Skills Hub’s substantial existing programme of apprenticeship support which consists of:
- Free and unlimited apprenticeship support from a Business Skills Advisor
Warwickshire County Council’s Strategy & Commissioning Manager (Economy & Skills): Kim Fraser-Bell said: "We have shown by committing this funding for the next five years that we are dedicated to ensuring that the future workforce of Warwickshire has the skills needed for our local economy.
“Through these new programmes we will be supporting people from across our communities, including those with SEND and the over 50s where there is so much as yet untapped talent which can contribute to our economy.”