£1,000 incentive for employers to invest in apprenticeships

“A strong economy needs a skilled workforce so I am delighted the Warwickshire Apprenticeship Progression programme is now available to SMEs wanting to upskill their staff. We hope as many micro businesses and SMEs as possible will apply."

Warwickshire County Council is offering Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) a £1,000 incentive, plus fully funded apprenticeship training to help businesses reshape their workforce to meet the demands presented by Covid-19.

The County Council’s Apprenticeship Progression programme has been designed to support Warwickshire businesses to progress apprentices onto a second qualification, one that must support both the needs of the business and the employee in their progression.

As a result of the pandemic, SMEs in particular, have reported they need to significantly develop and adapt the skills of their staff to cope with changing operational needs, and also to respond to emerging opportunities for future growth. They have had to introduce new products and processes; adopt new digital technologies and find new strategies to meet customer demand and pivot to new business models. As a result, current staff do not always have the skills needed.

The new Warwickshire Apprenticeship Progression programme - delivered via the Warwickshire Skills Hub and the Coventry and Warwickshire Apprenticeship Provider Network - gives micro businesses and SMEs the support they need to find the right apprenticeships to upskill their workforce.

Through the programme, businesses can progress apprentices by building upon a previous qualification ensuring the skill sets within their business continues to be relevant in a post-pandemic world. The programme offers a £1000 incentive per apprentice – maximum five apprentices per business.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council and portfolio holder for economic development, said: “A strong economy needs a skilled workforce so I am delighted the Warwickshire Apprenticeship Progression programme is now available to SMEs wanting to upskill their staff. We hope as many micro businesses and SMEs as possible will apply.

"This project is part of a broader range of financial support to assist Warwickshire businesses adapt to the rapidly changing economic climate. The proposed Warwickshire Recovery Investment Fund is a package of support aimed at revitalising and repurposing Warwickshire’s economy over the next five years.”

This initiative sits alongside other schemes designed to boost Apprenticeships and work placements for young people such as the Government’s national Kickstart Scheme which provides funding to employers to create new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. For more information about Kickstart please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme

For further information or to discuss making an apprenticeship application, please contact the Warwickshire Skills Hub Team at skillshub@warwickshire.gov.uk