University of Portsmouth backs scheme to boost apprenticeships

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TBM Team

The University of Portsmouth has become the latest organisation to pledge their support for apprenticeships in the Solent.

They're backing the Solent Apprenticeship & Skills Hub’s ‘Transfer to Transform’ initiative which encourages big employers in the south to reroute any of their unspent apprenticeship levy funds to smaller businesses to help them cover the costs of training apprentices.

The University becomes the eighth biggest employer to pledge their support to the scheme, joining the likes of B&Q and Utilita.

So far, more than £1.5m of the £2.25 million needed has been raised, all of which has already been distributed to a variety of SMEs across the Solent area.

Jodi Fair is the manager of the Apprenticeship and Skills Partnership. She had this to say about the university's support: “The Solent Apprenticeship and Skills Hub have had a strong working relationship with the University of Portsmouth since the project's inception, so we are thrilled to welcome them on board as a pledger to Transfer to Transform. We are always trying to support new SME’s from across the Solent with funding their apprenticeships, so to receive another big pledge from a local levy payer ensures we can continue to do so.”

Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth Bernie Topham said: “Raising the skill levels of their employees is critical for businesses, including SMEs, who may struggle to access the funds they need to support apprenticeships. The Transfer to Transform scheme is a great way for us to positively use our unspent apprenticeship levy to benefit the growth of SME’s in our region and provide opportunities to train more apprentices.”

Any companies in the area that are interested in learning more about the scheme can visit the dedicated Transfer to Transform page on the Solent Apprenticeship & Skills Hub website. Alternatively they can email hello@theapprenticeshiphub.com.

TBM Team