Apprenticeship Support
Apprenticeships are a central feature of a national drive to improve skills and ensure that the UK is equipped to retain their leading position in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Increasingly recognised as an effective means of providing vocational training and developing work-focused skills that benefit employer and employee alike, growing the number of apprenticeships is a national priority; and, making sure that apprentices achieve their qualifications is equally crucial.
Unfortunately, the recent economic recession has impacted negatively on this drive. As redundancies become more widespread, a growing number of apprentices are not only losing their jobs but also having to drop out of their apprenticeships. For individuals who have completed the college-based aspects of their programme, work placement opportunities have significantly decreased.
Working to support individuals experiencing these challenges, and with the aim of ensuring that the benefits of apprenticeship programmes are not lost, Exemplas is delivering Apprenticeship Support programmes in Yorkshire and Humberside (YASP), and in London (LASP).
Funded through the European Social Fund (co-financed by the Learning and Skills Council), these programmes:
- Engage with apprentices that are under the notice of redundancy or who have recently been made redundant (but are still on their apprenticeship programme)
- Engage with potential new employers that can provide work placements for apprentices of at least 4 weeks
- Provide £95 per week funding for up to 26 weeks for those apprentices that are aged over 19, and between 16 and 24 in Yorkshire and Humber.
- Bringing together apprentices affected by redundancy and employers seeking cost-effective and motivated employees, the Apprentice Support Programmes offers an ideal solution.