At this week’s Conservative Party Conference there was a clear focus on skills, with the Chancellor announcing a £500 million expansion to the Plan for Jobs.  This includes extending the £3,000 incentive payment for businesses hiring an apprentice until 31 January 2022, as well as extending the Kickstart Scheme to March 2022, with applications remaining open from employers and gateways until 17 December 2021.

Businesses can now also benefit from over £1 million funding that has been pledged to support apprenticeships in other businesses.

Since 13 September, levy paying employers have been able to create a pledge of up to 25% of their annual levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses.  They can select how much funding they want to transfer and set optional criteria for the types of businesses and apprenticeships they would like to support.

Employers have already pledged over £1 million for the 2021 to 2022 financial year, with many more expected to pledge in the coming weeks.  All businesses can now browse these funding opportunities and apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum).  Levy paying employers can use their apprenticeship service accounts to review, approve or reject any pledge applications

George Swann FIS Skills and Training Lead said:

This is good news with labour for the finishes and interiors sector in short supply it will not immediately fix the problem, but if employers invest in new talent now it will reduce future impact by creating a pool of qualified individuals.

Apprenticeship support and recruitment

An extra 217,000 workers are needed over the next five years to ensure construction can continue to thrive. Here you can find out what schemes are available that will support apprenticeships and help bring new talent into the industry.

For more information, or to arrange an appointment with one of our specialist advisors, contact FIS on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org