Small people who run businesses are encouraging students getting their GCSE results in use up an apprenticeship for a viable route into sustainable employment.
The call uses last week’s apprenticeship start figures demonstrated that since May 2015, there have only been 1.4 million cumulative apprenticeship starts. Hitting the objective lay out within the 2017 Conservative manifesto and Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, 71,000 apprenticeship starts per month are essential. Currently, the Government is barely seeing between 20,000 and 30,000 starts every thirty days.
Small companies are still focused on the price tag on taking up and training a student. These concerns are already heightened while using the introduction of co-investment it means small firms exceeding 50 employees are likely to contribute 10% for the training of apprentices.
FSB is asking over the Government to do more to make it easier and many more cost-effective for small firms to advance apprentices. This can include extending the small businesses incentive, currently just accessible to firms with less than 50 employees, to any or all non-levy payers which recruit a 16-18 yr old apprentice.
Furthermore, more needs to be performed to improve the quality and impartiality of careers advice, information and guidance for teenagers plus the current level of business involvement including from small firms.
Mike Cherry, Federation of Smaller businesses (FSB) National Chairman, said: “Students getting their GCSE results today, shall be planning on their next move and might want to think about an apprenticeship as the crucial stepping-stone into sustainable employment – particularly for younger workers seeking to ‘earn and learn’.
“Sadly, many non-levy paying firms are not qualified to include an apprenticeship since they simply can’t afford it following the introduction from the 10 % contribution for training an apprentice. This added charges are serving as a brake on small businesses prepared to tackle teenagers and it’s undoubtedly playing a major part in falling apprenticeship starts.
“The Government’s ambitious apprenticeship target is increasingly seeking of sight plus more ought to be carried out to arrest the slump which can be damaging productivity and compounding already chronic skills gaps.
“Apprenticeships remain the ‘A Grade’ solution in addressing skills gaps and offering teenagers a nice-looking route into lasting employment. Less and less teenagers will receive to realise these benefits unless Government takes steps how to make it simpler and more cost-effective for small firms to invest in apprentices.”
