Creative Alliance’s Guide for Grants in the Midlands Area.

PLEASE BE AWARE THIS POST WAS PUBLISHED ON 13th of MARCH 2017 – SOME OF THESE GRANTS COULD BE OUT OF DATE.

Apprenticeship Grants are a minefield of information and can be confusing for employers who are looking to get all the support they need for their apprenticeship recruitment. On the other hand, if a small business has reservations about hiring an apprentice due to financial or time constraints, then a grant could make all the difference. Access to one or more grants could not only give a young person the opportunity to develop a career but would also give a business further opportunities to grow!

Here at Creative Alliance, the leading provider of creative, digital and marketing apprenticeships in the Midlands, we have collated some of the available grants in the region and broken down some of the language used so it starts to become a little clearer.

National Apprenticeship Grants

Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE)

Up until July 2017 The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) will provide an Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE). This £1,500 grant is awarded to the employer to support the wages, training and development of the apprentice.

Not all businesses are eligible and, like many grants, there are criteria. The full list can be viewed here. Here is a summary of the main criteria:

• You have not utilised more than 5 AGE grants: that’s our understanding of the total number of grants an employer can have
• It has to be the first AGE grant for that apprentice at that employer. If you’ve had an AGE grant for an apprentice doing a Level 3 qualification and you’re keeping them on because they’re progressing onto a Level 4 qualification you can’t get another AGE grant for them
• It is paid once the apprentice has been in employment for 26 weeks. The official guidance says something else: our experience is that it doesn’t arrive until half-way through the apprenticeship.
• The business needs to have 49 employees or less
• You have not recruited an Apprentice in the last 12 months
• You declare that without this grant you would not be able to hire an apprentice

 

Local Midlands Apprenticeship Grants

Please be aware that all this information is subject to change but is correct on date of publishing.

There are lots of different schemes for different councils and different postcodes.  Each of these schemes are different and they all have different criteria, rules and eligible young people. We can’t list them all but there is help out there. We suggest you search for your local Employment Access Team in your Local Authority and ask them for any details of apprentice wage subsidy schemes that they are running in your area.

We’re sharing some basic information about two regional Apprenticeship Grants: one in the East Midlands and one in the West Midlands. This will give you a sense of what might be available in your area when you contact your local Employment Access Team.

Birmingham

Young Talent for Business is a Birmingham City Council initiative. It’s also been known as The Birmingham Jobs Fund (£1,500): This is a regional grant for Birmingham and is based on the area in which the apprentice lives:

• The learner must have a Birmingham postcode
• The learner must be between aged 16-24

There are lots of other criteria that can be relevant but we can help you through this process as part of your recruitment. Please find additional information here

Leicester

Leicester Apprenticeship Grants (£1,500): This is a regional grant for Leicester based businesses who are hiring a central Leicester based apprentice. Below is a brief overview of the criteria for the grant:

• The company would not be able to employ an apprentice without the grant
• The company has less than 50 employees
• The company has not employed an apprentice in the last 12 months
• The grant is reduced to £1,000 if the learner is aged 19-24

Find out more please click here

More Information?

There are additional schemes outside of local authorities. See information about the Creative Skillset dedicated fund for Film / TV Production companies in Birmingham here.

If you are interested in a Creative, Digital or Marketing apprentice then please contact martin@creativealliance.org.uk or contact us here.