MORE than 50 businesses across the North East have embraced an initiative to increase opportunities for apprentices.
Under the Apprenticeship Employer Grant scheme employers were able to access £5,000 of funding to recruit a new Modern Apprentice.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
A similar initiative which provides £5,000 for employers recruiting apprentices who have been made redundant from their previous role is still available.
The enhanced funding, one of a number of employer incentives in place in Scotland as part of the Young Person’s Guarantee and No One Left Behind approach, covers all industry sectors.
Duncan Abernethy, North East Scotland College’s Director of Business Development, said: “The uptake of grants has been incredibly strong and reflects the commitment from employers to provide opportunities for Modern Apprentices to complete their training journey in a wide range of industries.
“The impact of Coronavirus on the employment landscape should not be understated and it is essential that all those affected are fully supported in these challenging times. There are a number of ways that is happening and the Apprenticeship Employment Grant is an excellent example of that proactive approach in action.
“NESCol is working closely with partners regionally and nationally to ensure current circumstances do not block the flow of new talent into the workforce and the positive outcome for this cohort of apprentices is a very encouraging sign, providing long term employment and supporting economic recovery.”
