Do you have enough people to run your business effectively and profitably? Worried you cannot afford to hire more people? If so, how about an apprentice?
Apprentices receive the appropriate minimum wage for their age while they train and can be a great advantage to small companies.
The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme (AGE) ensures that employers that have not had an apprentice in the last 12 months can access a £1,500 grant for each of up to ten apprentices aged between 16 and 24.
The AGE grant will be extended to December 2015 to support 100,000 additional apprenticeship programmes, and from January 2015 the initiative will be exclusively for small employers (fewer than 50 employees).
Brandan Flattery, CEO of Sage, says that with youth unemployment remaining a major challenge in the UK it is encouraging to see the Chancellor taking steps to address it.
‘Extending the grant for an additional 100,000 apprenticeships, combined with abolishing National Insurance contributions for under-21s by 2015, are two significant measures that will make it more affordable for small firms to employ young people,’ he says.
‘It is only right the future entrepreneurs and business leaders of our country are given every opportunity to get an early foot onto the career ladder and today’s announcement should help them achieve it,’ adds Flattery.
Sara Caplan, partner in the education and skills division of PricewaterhouseCoopers adds, ‘It’s particularly helpful to SMEs as it will subsidise wage costs whilst someone is training. Their role in apprenticeships is important, because it’s creating sustainable skills and nationwide economic development.’
Much more information is available from the National Apprenticeship Service http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
Call us before you decide and together we’ll ensure you select the right person.