UK Training Industry Press Releases

A financial incentive of £2,000 is being made available to employers, and is intended to encourage employers to create apprentice jobs in specific key sectors or sectors particularly impacted by the economic downturn.  The funding is only available for a short period of time - from 1^st November 2009 until 31 March 2010 to encourage new MA starts as early as possible.  Only a limited number of apprenticeships will be supported with this funding assistance and will be on a first come/first served basis. The sectors identified for support are:

•    Manufacturing
•    Textiles
•    Food and Drink (including agriculture & fisheries)
•    Energy (with a particular focus on renewables)

A one-off payment of £2000 is available to encourage small and medium sized businesses (up to 250 employees) to invest in a 16-19 year old apprentice in the sectors specified.