Levy Share programme is tackling skills gaps

Looking to grow your business? Apprenticeships might well be the answer. Louise Stolz, Business Skills Advisor at Warwickshire Skills Hub, explains how Warwickshire County Council’s Levy Share Programme is helping businesses address their skills gaps through apprenticeships.

“We have had nothing but a positive experience with using apprentices. I would say to anyone thinking about the process to go for it, its quick, simple and straightforward and the rewards are fabulous."

Apprenticeships are a great way to give your business a boost. If you’ve identified skills gaps or areas of potential, you can use apprenticeships to recruit new talent or support existing staff who want to expand their workplace skills and knowledge. And that’s where we can help.

Launched in 2019, Warwickshire County Council’s Levy Share Programme has been specifically designed to help businesses cover the associated cost of apprenticeship training, enabling them to address those skills gaps and shortages in industry and support business growth.

Our Business Skills Advisors work impartially with businesses, undertaking a free, in-depth review of all their training, skills and recruitment needs, helping to identify appropriate qualifications and training pathways with our approved training providers.

Once the most suitable apprenticeship standard and training provider have been established, they then help the business access Warwickshire County Council’s own levy funds.

To apply for the funding, there is an application form with sections for both the employer and the training provider to complete. Once received, it’s submitted to the evaluating board for approval and we aim to have a decision for you within two working days. It really is that expeditious but don’t just take our word for it:

Tracey Coetzee, Legal & Compliance Director for TS Online Solutions Ltd said: “Applying for the Warwickshire County Council Levy Share Programme has been really simple. The team at Warwickshire Skills Hub are exceptional and make sure the whole process is really straightforward. TSOS have now been through the process a number of times and never had any issues.

Sally Titmus, Manager of Peter Pan Nursery & Pre School in Nuneaton said: “We have had nothing but a positive experience with using apprentices. I would say to anyone thinking about the process to go for it, its quick, simple and straightforward and the rewards are fabulous. Our industry isn't something that you can learn in college, not the practical side any way, being in the environment and getting stuck in is how you learn and the only way you can get it right is by watching others that are experienced and knowledgeable. All our apprentices have enjoyed their time with us. Some are still with us and others have gone on to other nurseries with a fabulous array of knowledge by learning first hand in real time.”

Warwickshire Skills Hub’s apprenticeship support doesn’t stop there though. If you are a business who wish to invest in your staff and build upon a previous qualification which contributes to the new needs of the business, you can also apply to the Warwickshire Apprenticeship Progression Programme.

Available to Warwickshire micro and small to medium size businesses, the programme offers a £1,000 incentive which is paid directly to the employer.

Apprenticeships really are a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

If you’d like to know more, please contact Louise Stolz, Business Skills Advisor: louisestolz@warwickshire.gov.uk

* To find out what other support is available to your business, please call CWLEP Growth Hub on 0300 060 3747