£375,000 boost for apprenticeships in West Midlands
A total of £375,000 has been handed out to small and medium-sized firms in a bid to boost apprenticeships across the West Midlands.
Sandwell Council and Amazon paid out the funds to cover the cost of training the workers across the region.
It comes as part of a move to help the West Midlands recover from the impact of coronavirus as restrictions are eased.
The funds have been paid out through the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund, set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, former managing director of John Lewis, said: "The success of the levy transfer fund depends on contributions from big employers, so it’s great news that Amazon and Sandwell Council have signed up and will help fund apprenticeship training at smaller organisations.
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"Supporting local businesses in these challenging times is key to our region’s economic recovery from Covid-19, and I’d urge any SMEs in the West Midlands that are thinking about taking on new apprentices, or want to give their existing workforce better qualifications and skills, to get in touch with us and find out how we can help."
The apprenticeship levy is charged by HM Revenue and Customs on all businesses with a payroll of more than £3 million.
It is held digitally by the Government and businesses can use the funds by paying for apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
Doug Gurr, UK country manager at Amazon, said: "At Amazon we are proud to support small businesses, which make up more than half of all products sold on Amazon stores.
Donating
"In the West Midlands we want to back the wider small business community through the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund by ensuring businesses are able to access new talent and give people the opportunities to succeed in the digital age, regardless of their background."
As part of the WMCA's £69 million skills deal in 2018, the authority set up the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund and has helped create 704 new apprenticeships at 269 SMEs across the region.
It allows the group to team up with large organisations – with employers donating a portion of their remaining levy funds to smaller companies.
Councillor Danny Millard, deputy leader of Sandwell Council and cabinet member for employment and skills, said: "Apprenticeships are a great way for anyone aged over 16 to earn and learn at the same time and they can now also be undertaken by staff who are on furlough due to the current situation.
"We have taken on 372 new employees through apprenticeships and boosted the skills of 162 of our existing staff through apprenticeship qualifications.
"We are proud to be working with the WMCA to contribute £250,000 for apprenticeship training for businesses in Sandwell, which will help to increase economic growth, support people into jobs and improve skills within the workforce."
For more information, visit wmca.org.uk/apprenticeship-levy or contact apprenticeships@wmca.org.uk
