EMPLOYER INCENTIVES EXTENDED & INCREASED

 

The government has announced significant support for apprenticeships as part of their 'Plan for Jobs' initiative to help kickstart the nation’s economic recovery.
 

Receive up to £4000 for new apprenticeship starts!

Employers can now get even more funding for hiring an apprentice between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021. This includes:

• £4,000 for new apprentices of any age

The new incentives are in addition to the £1000 bonus payment the government already provides to employers who take on a new 16-18 year old apprentice (or those under 25 with an Education, Health and Care plan).

This means that organisations of all sizes can receive up to £4,000 for hiring a 16 to 18 year old up to the end of September 2021.

Entry level traineeship programmes for 16-24 year olds have also been given a funding boost with a £1000 bonus for every trainee an employer takes on, up to a maximum of ten trainees.

Under 25’s have been amongst the hardest hit by the economic fallout of COVID-19 and the new financial package for apprenticeship and traineeships aims to provide genuine skills development and progression opportunities for young people.

Apprentice eligibility

There will be no limit on the number of incentive payments that an employer can claim for apprentices eligible to receive funding, providing each apprentice meets the criteria.

• You can only apply for new apprentices who joined your organisation from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.
• You cannot apply for an existing employee who joined your organisation before 1 April 2021, even if they started an apprenticeship after this date

Claiming incentive payments

To receive the apprenticeship incentives, all employers must be on the apprenticeship service (digital account). All claims must be made through the service from 1 April 2021. The incentive payments will be made in two equal instalments at day 90 and day 365 of the apprenticeship.

Find out more information about funding opportunities and the apprenticeship programmes we offer.