How apprenticeships can be a lifeline for coronavirus unemployment.

Things are tough for everyone right now, whether you own a business or are just trying to make ends meet, there is a lot of uncertainty. Sadly, according to the BBC, over 600,000 jobs were cut during the lockdown months. It’s also believed that the UK jobless rate could reach a staggering 15% should we have a second wave, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said.

Now that is a whole lot of bad news, so let’s talk about the good. There are new government grants for hiring apprentices. Businesses can take advantage of these grants to grow their team with less risk, being able to offset some of the salary costs.

These grants are substantial and scale larger the younger the apprentice is. Apprenticeships can, therefore, be a great way to encourage businesses to hire young people, but also give them crucial additional funds to help with salaries or other costs. Helping business owners feel more secure over the risk of taking on a new starter during the current climate.

What are the grants?

Here is a break-down of the grants business can currently receive for apprentices that they take on. There will be three levels of payment based on age.

For apprentices aged 16-18, the payment will be £3,000,
for apprentices aged 19-24 or over the payment will be £2,000,
and finally, for apprentices aged 25 or over the payment will be £1,500.

How can businesses and applicants take advantage of this?

There are ways that both businesses and those looking for employment can take advantage of this, let’s start with businesses.

If you are interested in hiring an apprentice, then all you need to do is find a provider in your area that is offering the qualification that you need. You can use the government portal to do this here. Your training should also provide FREE recruitment and support you through your grant application and help you secure the funding for the apprenticeship.

If you are unemployed, you can take advantage of these grants by contacting companies based on undergoing an apprenticeship. Make the company aware that these grants are available and they may consider your application whereas before, may have dismissed you.

Likewise, if you were in an application process, only to be informed the job is now withdrawn due to budget constraints, then make the company aware of the apprenticeship grants. Doing this may give the company the incentive they need to take you on.

Talk to us.

Here at Professional apprenticeships, we offer qualifications in IT, Digital Marketing, Business and Management, check out full details on these courses here. We provide first-class training and a 100 point vetting system to ensure that our apprentices and a prospective company are a perfect match.

For more information on any of the above, please call on 0117 422 4000.

Or email: info@professionalapprenticeships.co.uk