Employers across the West Midlands are being urged to help people get on the career ladder by offering apprenticeship opportunities in conjunction with City of Wolverhampton College.
The college has launched its new apprenticeship programme for 2020/21, with over 50 schemes on offer, and has a talent pool of over 400 screened candidates waiting for an apprenticeship with an employer.
Apprenticeship training is available in 15 industry sectors – including business and management, construction, early years, engineering, hairdressing, health and social care, hospitality, motor vehicle, polymer processing and teaching and education– with new programmes on offer including construction quantity surveying, cyber intrusion, drinks dispensing , digital marketing and project management.
Businesses are currently entitled to a cash incentive of £1000 for every new apprentice, aged 16-18, that they take on however, as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs scheme, from August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021, they will receive an additional £2000 for new apprentices aged 16-24 and £1500 for those aged 25 or over.
Jo Baugh, head of employer engagement at the college, said: “Our expanded programme for 2020/21 includes range of new apprenticeship opportunities in many industry sectors giving employers from across the region the opportunity to take on new staff or up-skill existing staff to meet the future demands of their business.
“There has always been financial support available to help businesses employ apprentices, however the new government incentive scheme will be a huge boost and enable them to utilise apprentices to support their business and existing workforce in the post-Covid recovery.”
Apprenticeships enable people to earn while they learn by combining working for an employer with studying for a relevant industry-recognised qualification at college. Apprentices will generally attend college one day a week to be taught by tutors and will be assessed in the workplace by college staff on a regular basis.
Apprenticeship training is also available for existing staff who want to update their skills and qualifications and, depending on the programme chosen, can be delivered in the workplace.
The college has a dedicated recruitment team to support employers in appointing the right person for the job, including advertising vacancies, screening applicants and shortlisting candidates for interview; as well as a team of account managers and assessors who will support apprentices and employers throughout the programme.
Employers interested in finding out more about apprenticeships can email accountmanagers@wolvcoll.ac.uk or call 01902 836000.
Get details of all apprenticeships offered by the college here.
