Employers Blog

Our Employer Blog will keep you updated with any relevant industry news and information.

Grow Your Employees Through Learning at Work Day!
By Lucy Atherton

17/05/2012 11:10:47

With an emphasis on promoting the opportunity to learn and grow to those employees who may not currently participate in programmes of learning, Learning at Work Day is organised by the Campaign for Learning and forms part of the wider Adult Learners’ Week celebrations.
£1500 Government Grant Now Available For A Limited Time Only!
By Lucy Atherton

07/03/2012 15:01:25

The new AGE 16-14 grant has been introduced by the National Apprenticeship Service to support small-medium employers (with up to 250 employees) in recruiting and paying the wages of their first apprentice whilst helping young people into their first job. 
Apprenticeships double but concerns over 'chasing targets'
By Lucy Atherton

04/11/2011 10:14:44

A dramatic increase in the number of people studying law, business and administration apprenticeships is undermining the traditional craft associated with the on-the-job training scheme, critics warn.  However, the vast majority of new on-the-job training schemes have been offered to the over-25s, suggesting those already in work are benefiting from the training rather than...
Read more
Food firms to fight youth unemployment
By Lucy Atherton

04/11/2011 10:12:40

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the UK industry association, has urged manufacturers to pledge to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities in the food and drink sector. Nearly 1m adults under 25 are currently out of work in the country as the economy continues to struggle but the FDF believes apprenticeships can help alleviate the problem. However, the scheme is ...
Read more
Apprenticeships Up in the UK
By Lucy Atherton

04/11/2011 10:11:36

According to the latest figures there were over 442,000 apprenticeships that started in the academic year of 2010/2011, whereas last year there were only 279,000 people who started an apprenticeship. There were 442,700 apprenticeship starts in the academic year 2010-11 compared with 279,000 the previous year. Of the people who had taken up an apprenticeship 175,000 were aged ove...
Read more
 


Five steps to more apprenticeships

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has asked the Government to remove the restrictions that limit the ability of small businesses to create jobs and apprenticeships for people of all ages. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees provide almost 7 in ten apprenticeship jobs in the UK.
 

Prime Minister gives his backing to Apprenticeships!

Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"Apprenticeships offer a fantastic opportunity for people to gain the skills they need for the jobs of the future, equipping the country for our goal to build long-term sustainable growth.

"That is why despite some difficult decisions on spending; we are boosting the number of Apprenticeships. We think this is absolutely vital not just to help people into work for the short term but to make sure they can have successful long term careers.

"With hundreds of events around the country taking place, Apprenticeship Week is a great opportunity for more businesses, young people and potential apprentices to get involved, and benefit from all that apprenticeships bring."
 

Apprenticeships can produce 'perfect employees'
Procurement jobs employers have been told that apprenticeships could be the way to create "the perfect employee". Businesses that invest in apprenticeship schemes are able to shape their employees with skills tailor-made for their role, according to notgoingtouni.co.uk. Sarah Clover, sales and marketing director for the site, said bosses who take on school leavers could find many advantages, as they could "effectively mould them and make them the perfect employee".


Deadline approaches for SME training subsidies

When money is tight, training is a sacrifice that small-medium sized companies (SMEs) are sometimes tempted to make. But this needn't be the case thanks to the Flexible Training Opportunities Fund, which is operated by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) with support from the European Social Fund. The fund aims to help Scottish organisations of up to 150 employees become more resilient and successful and covers 50 per cent of training costs up to a maximum of £5,000.