Apprenticeships Funding
The Skills Funding Agency has procured the delivery of a range of activities to support unemployed people (click on link for more details) to return to employment through “Programmes for the Unemployed” (PfU) providers.
As part of this program, it has just been announced that an ESF grant is now available to SMEs who take on an 18-24 year old apprentice who had previously been registered as unemployed for 6 months or more. The grant is available through selected training providers only and I have attached the list of training providers for reference.
The grant of between £2,000 and £2,500 is to convert a job outcome into an Apprenticeship start for those aged 18-24yrs, and is available to employers who qualify under State Aid rules and is an SME.
The first payment is made after the apprentice has been employed for 6 weeks and the second payment is made after the completion of 26 weeks of employment.
The total value of the grant support is determined by the wage paid to the apprentice at the time of the first claim at the start of the Apprenticeship as follows:
(i) £149 or less per week = £2,000 (2 payments of £1,000)
(ii) £150 to £240 per week = £2,250 (2 payments £1,000 and £1,250)
(iii) £241 or more per week = £2,500 (2 payments £1,000 and £1,500)
Employers interested in accessing this support can get in touch with the PfU Providers (list attached) or through local Job Centre Plus.
List of Training Providers
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