Employers Urged to Celebrate National Apprenticeship Week
This year, National Apprenticeship Week runs from 5 to 11 February with the theme of Skills for Life highlighting how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the knowledge needed for a rewarding career, while helping businesses develop a talented and diverse workforce that is equipped for the future.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Institute of Licensing (IoL) have joined together to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to both individuals and businesses.
“As well as offering talented individuals the opportunity to gain real-life experience and on the job training while earning a salary,” the CTSI said, “they give businesses a cost-effective way to nurture new and enthusiastic talent. It has also been found that 90% of apprentices stay in their place of work after completing their apprenticeship.”
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has also called on firms to support National Apprenticeship Week and is leading calls to introduce the £3,000 apprenticeship incentive in England for under-25s and small firms.
It cites figures from the Department for Education (DfE) which show the significant impact of the Government’s increased apprenticeship incentive during the pandemic. The incentive was boosted from £2,000 for young apprentices and £1,500 for older apprentices, to £3,000 for all age groups. This led to a 21% surge in apprenticeship starts during the Covid-19 crisis.
The reduction back to £1,000 for under-19s and care leavers only, has meant that apprenticeship starts have fallen by 12%, the FSB points out.
The FSB’s Policy Chairwoman, Tina McKenzie, said: “The Government’s increase of the apprenticeship incentive was a welcome effort in supporting young talent during the pandemic, but that funding was temporary, and it has been disheartening to see that commitment fall away. The correlation between the drop in apprenticeship starts and the reduction in financial incentives is plain to see.”
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