Great news for employers; the Apprenticeships Incentive Scheme has been extended to the end of January 2022. This means employers can get a grant of £3,000 for every apprentice they hire before that date.
In a speech for the Conservative Party Conference, Rishi Sunak announced that the government would be extending the scheme in order to give businesses an economic boost post-COVID. The incentive is designed to help businesses grow their teams and add new skills.
Here at NTG Training we’re delighted to hear this news. Since the scheme was first made available in August 2020 we have helped a multitude of employers realise the power of Apprenticeships.
How Much is the Apprenticeship Incentives Scheme Grant?
All businesses are eligible for £3,000 for each apprentice they hire. You can hire multiple apprentices and apply for multiple grants. There are no prerequisites – the grant is available whether your business is small or large, whether you’re a sole trader or a national company.
You can also claim a bonus grant of £1,000 on top of your Incentives Scheme grant if you are a business with less than 50 staff, and you are hiring someone aged 16 – 18. This is a separate government incentives scheme.
How Can I Apply for the Apprenticeship Incentives Scheme?
First thing’s first, you’ll need to get in touch with a government-recognised training provider. Good news is, you’ve just found one. NTG Training are experts in helping employers take on apprentices.
Once you’ve decided which course suits the needs of your newly created role, you can get in touch with us by phone, email or via our contact form. We’ll then set up a friendly, no-obligation chat to discuss your business needs.
When you’re happy with your apprenticeship plan, you simply give us the green light to go ahead and find you an apprentice. We’ll help to boost your recruitment efforts, and we’ll advise with interviews and contracts to ensure you get the perfect person for the job.
Finally, we will apply for your grant on your behalf through the Apprenticeships Portal on the Government Website. We’ll ensure this paperwork is completed quickly and accurately so there are no delays in receiving your grant. Many news outlets have reported the application can be quite tricky, but we’ve done it all before! Save yourself the stress and trust the pros.
The grant is then paid out in two parts. Half is paid a few months after your apprentice has started, and the remainder is paid once you apprentice completes their training.
What Can I Use The Apprenticeship Incentives Scheme Grant For?
There are no stipulations about how your business spends the grant. Many employers use it to buy equipment that their new apprentice may need, or to invest in a new department that the apprenticeship may have created. For example, if you’re hiring your first Digital Marketing Apprentice, you may use the grant to buy some tools or software that would benefit that role.
Our expert tutors come from an industry background, so they’ll be happy to advise the best way to invest your grant in your business growth, if you wish.
What Is an Apprentice?
We just wanted to clear up a few common misconceptions about apprenticeships:
- Apprentices are not just for young people and school leavers. Anyone over the age of 16 can study an apprenticeship.
- Apprenticeships aren’t just for vocational skills and low-level qualifications. In fact, they range from a level 2 (GCSE) to a level 7 (masters degree). Your apprentice can study a wide range of essential business skills with us.
- Apprenticeships aren’t low quality. They may have had a bad rep in the past, but the government has invested hugely in improving the course content of apprenticeships to make them extremely valuable and relevant to businesses.
- You don’t need to pay your apprentice just the minimum wage. The Apprenticeship Minimum Wage is £4.30/hr, but if you’re looking to attract top talent, you can offer more.
- Completing an apprenticeship won’t distract your new hire from their role. On the contrary, every project your apprentice takes on will be directly applied to a real situation they are dealing with on-the-job.
Here’s another fact, you can even use apprenticeships to train and develop your current staff. They’re not eligible for the incentives scheme grant (unless they started their role after April 1st 2021…), but they are eligible for their training to be funded 95% by the government, making it extremely affordable.
What About Welsh Businesses?
Welsh businesses will fall under a separate scheme called the Apprentice Recruitment Initiative. This is handled by the Welsh Government, and has been extended until February 28th 2022. In Wales, businesses can claim one of the following grants per apprentice:
- Claim £4,000 for each apprentice hired who is under 25 on a minimum contract of 30 hours a week.
- Claim £2,000 for each apprentice hired who is under 25 and on a contract of less than 30 hours a week.
- Claim £2,000 for each apprentice hired who is over 25 and on a minimum contract of 30 hours a week.
- Claim £1,000 for each apprentice hired who is over 25 and on a contract of less than 30 hours a week.
Up to a maximum of 10 apprentices per business.
We provide Digital Marketing Apprenticeships in North Wales, and we will help you apply for any applicable grants.
How Can I Start The Process?
Whether you simply have a question or you’ve decided you’d like to go ahead and hire an apprentice, we’re here to help. We offer apprenticeships across the North-West, North Wales and The Midlands, so why not get in touch?
