'A Plan for Jobs’ Extended

Following on from the recent Government Budget 2021, it was announced that extra money was available for the apprentice cohort from April 2021 onwards on top of the total package of support amounting to £30 billion made last year. As part of the economic response to coronavirus, the government launched ‘A Plan for Jobs’ and subsequently, this has been extended out with further incentives for employers also.

As we have seen in our working lives, the pandemic has accelerated the switch to Digital by 4-6 years as noted by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and remote working “Zoom like” meetings are now the new-norm.

With Digital and Management skill gaps being discussed in many media forums, now is the time to take a look at apprenticeships that are vocationally aligned with industry and their employees, to positively impact job roles and workplaces in the UK.

Further to todays Written Ministerial Statement by Secretary of State  for Education announcing the expansion of the Governments Skills Bootcamps, we are delighted to announce our involvement in this project. As a specialist provider of digital marketing qualifications we have created four digital marketing pathways that are available free of charge to residents of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

One of the biggest adaptations organisations have had to make as a result of Covid-19 is the mass migration of staff from the workplace to their homes. In April this year, figures show that 46.6% of the employed population did some work from home and that 86% of those did so as a result of Covid-19.

The graphs below illustrate how this is broken down via region and age group.

As we find ourselves in the middle of the second national lockdown in 8 months and with countless industries and whole sectors being on the brink of collapse, the subject of training and developing staff is understandably not at the top of anybody’s to do list at this juncture.

1. Have a dedicated workspace

As part of the economic response to coronavirus, the government has launched ‘A Plan for Jobs 2020’ with a total package of support amounting to £30 billion being made available. Part of this support package was the announcement that the government were “going to pay employers to create new apprenticeships”.

Welcome to the final post in our 18 part series on the Apprenticeship Levy. Since its launch over two years ago in April 2017, the Levy has had a profound impact on individuals and businesses up and down the country.

Welcome to the penultimate article in our 18 part series on the Apprenticeship Levy. Over the course of this series we’ve put the Apprenticeship Levy under the spotlight and uncovered everything there is to know about it, from who needs to contribute to who’s eligible to use it - and everything in between. Now it’s time to take a brief look at how best to put those funds into action. You’ve looked into the Apprenticeship Levy, read our series on it and you’re all clued up. You know what funds you have access to, you’ve opened an online account and you’re ready to go… what next?

This is the 16th article in our 18 part series on the Apprenticeship Levy. In our previous piece, we talked about which providers you were able to spend the levy with and whether or not there were any limitations. In this piece, we’re looking at who you can spend the levy on. Are there any limitations to who you can enrol as an apprentice? Is there a greater incentive to choose one individual over another? Let’s review...

This is the 15th article in our 18 part series on the Apprenticeship Levy. Along the way, we’ve uncovered everything there is to learn about the levy, including who’s eligible to pay, who has access to the fund, and the various ways in which it can benefit businesses of all sizes. Having access to something like the Apprenticeship Levy is a huge boon to businesses and they’re glad to have it, but not a lot businesses are aware of the various ways in which the levy can be utilised. One of the most common questions on the Internet at the moment is, “Can I choose who I spend the Levy with?” and the answer, to a certain extent, is yes - but there are rules you need to be mindful of.