Uni of Glos welcomes £2,000 payments to employers for apprentices hired
The University of Gloucestershire has welcomed the introduction of payments of up to £2000, to be awarded to employers who hire apprentices.
Announced by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, as part of his summer statement, the payments are part of a package of measures designed to mitigate the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on 16 to 24year olds.
Businesses taking on apprentices under the age of 25 will receive a bonus payment of £2000, while those hiring apprentices who are 25 and over will receive a payment of £1500.
Large employers are already able to recover apprenticeship qualification costs through their apprenticeship levy, while smaller employers receive funding for 95% of these costs from the government.
Dr Polly Pick, the University’s Director of Business Engagement and Partnerships, said: “First and foremost, we welcome the fact that the government is taking action in order ensure that young people do not bear the economic brunt of the Coronavirius crisis. Young people are key to our future prosperity, so an investment in them is an investment in us all.
"We also welcome this vote of confidence in apprenticeship programmes. Apprenticeships have always been a win, win - employers benefit from being able to develop the skills they need for growth, while apprentices have the advantage of being able to earn while they learn. However, we hope that the extra financial incentives announced today will be enough to persuade any employers not yet hiring apprentices to get on board.”
Apprenticeships have been found to be a highly effective way of providing much needed skills for employers. In fact, in a recent government survey, 86% of employers said that apprentices helped to develop relevant skills for their organisation, and to fill the skills gap.
There are apprenticeship programmes available to support a whole range of job roles and sectors, and advanced programmes also lead to higher level qualifications.
Programmes starting at the University of Gloucestershire in September include:
- Working with children, young people and families (level 4 higher apprenticeship)
- Nursing associate (level 5 higher apprenticeship)
- Cyber security (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Digital marketer (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Registered nurse – adult nursing pathway (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Registered nurse – mental health nursing pathway (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Registered nurse – working with people with learning disabilities pathway (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Manufacturing engineer (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Social work (level 6 degree apprenticeship)
- Senior leader master’s degree apprenticeship (Level 7 master’s degree apprenticeship)
- Academic professional (level 7 master’s degree apprenticeship)
Other measures announced by the Chancellor included a jobs ‘kick starter’ and additional funding for traineeships. The former is a scheme which will see the government cover costs of employing 16 to 25 year olds for 25 hours per week (on the minimum wage) over six months. The latter will enable companies to claim £1000 for providing unpaid work experience placements to young people (up to a maximum of £10,000 per firm), with trainees also taking part in classroom-based lessons in maths, English and CV writing. Combining on-the-job training with study, it is hoped that these traineeships will also provide a gateway to apprenticeship programmes.
