OxLEP secures more than 500k unused funding to open new apprenticeship opportunities

The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership has made more than £500,000 of unused apprenticeship levy available to businesses in the county with the aim of creating new apprenticeship opportunities.

The OxLEP Skills’ Social Contract programme secured the funding through a number of levy transfers as part of a wider programme of activity to support the development of new jobs and talent within the community following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This means the LEP is making good progress towards its target of securing £1.3 million-worth of levy transfers which will help small businesses in the region to invest in new apprenticeship and training opportunities.

Through the facilitation of these levy payments, OxLEP is aiming to support companies in developing talent pipelines with an adaptable workforce specific to the needs of Oxfordshire companies.

The £500,000 pledged to-date has been made possible by larger employers – subject to the apprenticeship levy across Oxfordshire – vowing to invest in apprentices by passing on their unused levy funds through the Social Contract programme, itself a £1.7million programme of activity launched in May last year by OxLEP Skills.

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The growing list of employers who have already pledged some of their unused apprenticeship levy to the Social Contract programme include:

• The University of Oxford
• The River Learning Trust
• Biofood
• Paragon Customer Communications
• Pearson
• Jacobs Douwe Egberts
• Eynsham Partnership Academy
• Lumen

Sally Andreou – Skills Hub Manager at OxLEP – said: ‘’We are delighted to have passed the £500,000 mark and to see so many levy paying businesses in Oxfordshire already pledge their unused funds.

“As a result of these employers leading the way, apprenticeships across the county are now being supported and made available to more people of all ages and backgrounds.

“Our work over many years – helping businesses to understand the power and opportunities created by apprenticeships – has demonstrated the potential they have and how they can genuinely transform our economy. They create jobs and tackle talent shortages by developing much-needed skills.

‘’We encourage all eligible businesses in Oxfordshire who are not making use of their apprenticeship levy to find out about our Social Contract programme and how they can pledge their unused funds today.

“Together we can create a thriving economy in Oxfordshire and many more opportunities too.’’

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