Council apprenticeship levy transfer funding pot opens for Shropshire firms

The transfer of Shropshire Council’s unspent apprenticeship funds allows it to help smaller enterprises by covering the cost of apprenticeship training, enabling them to take on and train new staff or boost the skills of existing staff.

The council has approximately £140,000 available to businesses that are not currently subject to the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy, including:

– Small and medium-sized enterprises

– Voluntary, community and social enterprises

– Voluntary aided and foundation schools.

The fund will cover the training costs of around 20 apprentices.

Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for finance and corporate resources, said: “We are so pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to help our small and medium-sized businesses grow and our residents to gain new skills and qualifications.

“It means that many firms which may not have been able to afford to take on apprentices now can.

“At the same time, that will help create new job opportunities in the county, offering residents a more vocational route to in-work training and qualifications, plus the chance to earn while they learn.”

Sam Williams, Shropshire Council’s assistant director for workforce, added: “Apprenticeships have changed vastly over recent years. In addition to the more traditional courses, there is now a breadth of qualifications going up to degree level and covering a huge range of professions. There are more than 600 apprenticeship standards approved, with more being added all the time, so there is likely to be something on offer that would benefit most organisations.

“We have celebrated many successes since the launch of the apprenticeship levy within Shropshire Council; 108 staff members have successfully completed training, whilst 195 are currently in process of gaining a qualification. It’s fantastic that we can offer local non-levy paying employers the chance to reap the benefits of apprenticeship training through the transfer of levy funds.”

The scheme is open to applications until December 23.

Full details of the levy transfer scheme, including how to apply can be found by visiting the Upskill Shropshire pages of Shropshire Council’s website.

For further information email apprenticeshiplevy@shropshire.gov.uk or ring 01743 258521.