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Local Businesses Urged to Join New Apprenticeship Grant Scheme

Firms in the Canterbury district are being encouraged to take up a new grant designed to create places for apprentices in local industry.

Funded by the European Social Fund, the Apprenticeship Grants for Employers 16-24 grant scheme (AGE) aims to generate over 1,000 new apprenticeships across South East England.

The grant provides up to £1,500 for small and medium sized employers in the private and third sectors employing no more than 250 full time equivalent staff, to take on unemployed 16 - 24 year olds as apprentices. The grant will be available from April 2010 until October 2010 and is open to businesses across the district, within a wide range of industries and applicable to companies of all sizes.

Despite the huge challenges that the economic downturn has presented optimists are now predicting the beginning of a recovery. In this way apprenticeships are key to developing the skills of the workforce to enable businesses to respond in the upturn.

As well as providing young people with vital life and career skills by helping them learn a craft, build expertise and to excel in a particular vocation, extensive research has shown many acknowledged benefits to businesses of apprenticeships.

Amongst the advantages they can bring apprenticeships can contribute to improved efficiency, productivity and staff retention, increased workforce flexibility, employee loyalty and motivation. They are also associated with opportunities to recruit and develop ambitious, well-motivated individuals trained to your company's standards while avoiding skill shortages and high training costs by providing cost effective and relevant training and bringing on board a younger workforce.

Local businesses are encouraged to move quickly to sign up to the scheme. There are only 1,025 grants available for the South East region and these will be offered on a first come first served basis. Firms from across the region are likely to want to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Notes:

A Flyer / Employer Fact Sheet for the grant scheme is linked to this article on the C4B website

Aspire Learning and Development Limited (Aspire) will administer this grant in the South East in collaboration with the learning providers in the region to support employers to be able to claim this grant.

There are various terms and conditions relating to the scheme. To find out more and apply for the 'AGE 16 - 24' Grant please email: info@aspirelearning.co.uk.

Canterbury College is the major local provider of apprenticeship training, delivering over 300 apprentices and advanced apprentices annually. The College is able to support your business in identifying your training needs through its dedicated business account manager service and your apprenticeships through its team of work based learning training advisers. For more information contact the Business and Employer Line: 01227 811163, email bdc@cant-col.ac.uk or visit the dedicated employer section of the College's website at www.ctr-kent.co.uk.

This article has been prepared for C4B by Canterbury City Council's Local Economy Team. They can be contacted on 01227 862532 or at www.business.canterbury.gov.uk.

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