Government annouce 25 Million Pound Higher Apprenticeships Fund for England

The Government has announced £25 million of additional funding to aid the growth of Higher Apprenticeships in England. The funding will be used to support a range of activities, including initiatives to help small and medium-sized employers take on more Apprentices.

The Higher Apprenticeships Fund will support the expansion of Apprenticeships up to degree equivalent in companies where there is unmet demand for the higher level skills that are necessary to create additional jobs and growth.

The programme aims to help SMEs and sectors that will help rebalance and reshape the English economy such as advanced manufacturing, information technology and engineering, giving them the hi-tech skills they need to grow. It will also provide challenging development opportunities for England's workforce.

There is a total of £25 million available through the programme. It will support up to 10,000 Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships. Therefore, approximately £2,000 to £2,500 will be available per Apprenticeship.

Activities the Higher Apprenticeship Fund is looking to support the following:
          • Co-investment: using public investment to kick-start activity which is clearly aimed at   generating ongoing employer contributions to support programme costs.
          • Employer leadership: using public investment to facilitate stronger sector or occupational partnerships to drive development and promotion of the programme.
          • Transformation: using public investment to achieve a lasting change in employer recruitment and training patterns, creating a significant change in practice.
          • Innovation: using public investment to develop new models of Apprenticeship learning.

The scheme is available for existing and new staff aged 16 and over. Collaborative partnership bids are invited. The following organisations, with preference given to consortia, are eligible to apply:
       • Employers.
       • Sector Skills Councils.
       • Professional Bodies.
       • National Skills Academies.
       • Employer groups.
       • Learning Providers, including independents.
       • FE colleges and HE institutions.

The new apprenticeships will commence from October 2011.
The closing date for applications is Friday 16 September 2011.

 

Ways to get in touch

More details can be found at http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/the-basics/higher-apprenticeships.aspx

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