Financial assistance is available for North East of England SMEs seeking to take on an apprentice completing and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board approved programme.
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board is offering to match fund a Government scheme for North East firms taking on their first apprentices, meaning small and medium-sized businesses in the sector could sector could benefit from a £3,000 contribution towards the young person’s wages.
Foundation for Jobs, a partnership between The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of public and private sector organisations is working with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) to offer financial assistance to SMEs that have not recruited an apprentice in the past three years to register them on an ECITB approved training framework.
The objectives of the scheme are to increase the number of young people taking apprenticeships and internships, as well as giving school-age youngsters an insight into the sectors where jobs are most likely to be created in the North East in coming years, such as engineering.
Support from the ECITB follows the Government’s announcement in February 2012 that grants of £1,500 will be made available to up to 40,000 SMEs.
For further information please visit http://www.ecitb.org.uk/Programmes/Apprenticeships/Employer/SmallMediumEnterpriseApprenticeshipIncentiveScheme/
Source: ECITB, 7th June 2012