by Clair Mooney | Nov 11, 2021 | Skills
From 1 November 2021, the reservation period for employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy will be reduced from six months to three months. While the Education and Skills Funding Agency had previously extended the reservation window to six months, they found that very few employers needed to reserve funds more than three months ahead.
Employers can still plan ahead when recruiting apprentices. Employers can reserve funding three months before an apprentice’s expected start date and have a further two months after the planned reservation month to start their apprentice. As is the case now, if no commitment is made on the apprenticeship service by then, the reservation will expire.
Any reservations made before 1 November 2021 will not be affected. For more details including a six minute video please see: How to reserve apprenticeship funding
by Clair Mooney | Nov 10, 2021 | Skills
Help to Grow is a £520 million scheme to help owners of small and medium-sized business take their business to the next level. There are two Government backed programmes designed to help business leaders:
Help to Grow: Management offers senior business leaders management and leadership training, delivered by Business Schools across the UK
Sign up to the 12-week Help to Grow: Management course and get 1:1 support from a business mentor and access to an alumni network. Delivered in partnership with Small Business Charter, courses are running at leading business schools across the UK. The programme is 90% funded by the government so you only pay £750. Find our more here.
Help to Grow: Digital offers businesses free, impartial advice on how technology can boost business, delivered through a new online platform.
Access free, impartial online support about how digital technology can boost your business’s performance. From December 2021, if your business is eligible, you can also get a discount of up to 50% towards the costs of buying approved software, worth up to £5,000. Register here.
by Clair Mooney | Nov 9, 2021 | Main News Feed, Skills
FIS has secured a discount for its members on the Foundation in Hardware online course which concentrates on ensuring those working with or selling architectural ironmongery or door hardware are aware of the range of hardware, its uses and responsibilities if specifying or offering alternatives.
Foundation in Hardware
The GAI education programme starts with the Foundation in Hardware module, an online introductory course designed to raise knowledge and standards among those who need to understand the basics but don’t need to live and breathe ironmongery in their day-to-day jobs.
- Covers all the basics of hardware and access control
- Online course featuring 12 modules with 6 months to complete upon enrolment
- Learn at your own pace
- Self-assessment tests and examination with a printed certificate upon passing
The Foundation in Hardware is suitable for:
Those who aren’t involved in the detail of architectural ironmongery but want to gain a basic understanding of the industry
- Locksmiths
- Builders merchants
- Staff on sales or trade counters
To find out more please follow this link and to register and enjoy a 20% discount. Quote OFFER20GAI when registering at www.gai.org.uk/FiH
by Clair Mooney | Oct 28, 2021 | Main News Feed, Skills
Chancellor, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, spoke about the absolute critical role of skills throughout his Budget speech on Wednesday afternoon. He stated: “Strengthening the skills of our people, the country’s greatest asset. That’s a real plan for growth. Higher skills lead to higher regional productivity and higher productivity leads to higher wages. With 80% of the UK’s 2030 workforce already in work, our future success depends not just on the schooling we give our children but the lifelong learning we offer to adults. We’ve already done a lot. Our Plan for Jobs invested in apprenticeships, traineeships, and the Kickstart scheme. But we need to go further. Today’s Budget invests in the most wide-ranging skills agenda this country has seen in decades. We’re increasing skills spending, over the Parliament by £3.8bn – an increase of 42%. We’re expanding T Levels, Building Institutes of Technology, Rolling out the Prime Minister’s lifetime skills guarantee, upgrading our FE college estate, quadrupling the number of places on our Skills Bootcamps and significantly increasing funding for apprenticeships.”
On Departmental spending, Sunak declared: “Today’s Budget increases total Departmental spending over this Parliament by £150bn. That’s the largest increase this century, with spending growing by 3.8% a year in real terms. As a result of this Spending Review, and contrary to speculation…there will be a real terms rise in overall spending for every single Department.”
The Treasury subsequently published its Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021. This reveals that: To boost wages and prospects for all, total spending on skills will increase over the Parliament; by £3.8 billion by 2024-25. This funding will quadruple the number of places on Skills Bootcamps, expand the Lifetime Skills Guarantee on free Level 3 qualifications, and improve numeracy skills through a new Multiply programme. There will be extra classroom hours for up to 100,000 T Level students.
Spending Review 2021 also confirms funding to open 20 Institutes of Technology and investment for improvements to the condition of post 16 estates; including more specialist equipment and facilities for T Levels. This will be funded through a £2.8 billion capital investment in skills. Apprenticeship’s funding will increase to £2.7 billion by 2024-25 – the first increase since 2019-20. The document cites the delivery of “apprenticeship system improvements for all employers”. These include:
- an enhanced recruitment service by May 2022 for SMEs helping them hire new apprentices.
- supporting flexible apprenticeship training models to ensure that apprenticeship training continues to meet the needs of employers.
By April 2022, the Government will consider changes to the provider payment profiles aimed at giving employers more choice over how the apprenticeship training is delivered and explore the streamlining of existing additional employer support payments so that they go directly to employers. Introducing a return on investment tool in October 2022 to ensure employers can see the benefits apprentices create in their business. Extending the 3k apprentice hiring incentive for employers until 31 January 2022.
Investing approximately £10 million a year over the Spending Review in the Sector Based Work Academy Programme. Funding for the Help to Grow schemes will help SMEs improve their productivity through world-class management, skills training, and support for digital adoption.
Sunak also announced funding to extend the Kickstart scheme to March 2022. The KickStart Gateway support programme will close in December 2021.
George Swann Skills and Training Lead said,
“This budget speech clearly indicates the governments drive to encourage investment in home grown talent when it’s known the sector needs competent workers now. The first qualified Interior Systems Installer apprentices will trickle through at the end of this year, but it will not be enough to fill the current vacancies as the apprenticeship training is an 18 month programme. Although individuals will be able to fast track if they complete a T-Level or Traineeship prior to finding employment. To have an impact the government are relying on employers taking on new entrants. It’s still a complicated system, but FIS can provide information, advise and guidance on all things skills, training, qualifications and funding”.
If you need help or just want to talk something through please call George on 07552 874838, Catherine on 07900 083325 or Marie on 07799 903103.
by Clair Mooney | Oct 21, 2021 | Skills
Earlier this month, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, announced that the £3000 incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice will be extended until the end January 2022.
For apprentices with an employment start date from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021
Employers must apply by 30 November 2021. Apprentices must have an employment start date from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021. They must also have an apprenticeship start date from 1 April 2021 to 30 November 2021.
For apprentices with an employment start date from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022
Employers can recruit now and apply later! Applications will open in January 2022. Apprentices must have an employment start date from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022.
How to apply
To receive the payment, employers must submit an application for each eligible apprentice using their apprenticeship service account. This how to video provides a step-by-step guide.
by Clair Mooney | Oct 21, 2021 | Skills
The Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) is a Scottish Government initiative that enables employers to address priority skills and skills gaps in their organisation by accessing funding to create training programmes that meet their needs. These programmes can be delivered in partnership with their local college, The Open University in Scotland (OUiS) or an independent training provider.
The FWDF is open both to UK Apprenticeship Levy paying employers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland. Apprenticeship Levy payers have access to a £13 million fund in 2020-21 through the college sector and can access training up to the value of £15,000, where specific training needs cannot be provided via a local college. For more information please see: Flexible Workforce Development Fund
