Apprenticeship Levy Funding For Coventry SMEs
Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training is working in partnership with Coventry City Council (CCC) to promote the CCC Apprenticeship Levy Fund Transfer. The funding is available for eligible SMEs in Coventry or outside of the city who employ Coventry residents. It will allow employers to employ individuals and help to develop their skills whilst gaining a recognised qualification.
The CCC Apprenticeship Levy Fund supports a variety of apprenticeship programmes, upskilling existing members of staff or new recruits.
One example of a company that has recently accessed the apprenticeship levy funding is Society for the Environment, the body responsible for the registration of environmental professionals. The funding was used to recruit an apprenticeship opportunity for Katie Wilcox who pursued a Business Administration Level 3 Apprenticeship.
During the apprenticeship programme, Katie developed her communication skills and the correct use of business etiquette. Using her enhanced ICT skills; she has developed the company website and learnt how to create video and podcasts to use across social media. The apprenticeship training has helped Katie to become more productive, more independent and able to take on more responsibility within her role.
Commenting on the successful access of Coventry City Council’s Apprenticeship Levy Fund Transfer, Elaine Rutherford, Operations Manager at Society for the Environment said: “Coventry City Council have been excellent in helping the Society to arrange funding, especially during lockdown. Having invested time and energy to find the right course for Katie, the funding has been invaluable as it has helped to plug the skills gap in the organisation, identify talent in other areas which have opened up exciting opportunities. It has greatly improved our company performance, accuracy and quality of work. I would recommend all companies to follow suit in applying for funding.
“Chamber Training’s apprenticeship programme has certainly helped Katie to become more productive, and supported her with taking on additional responsibilities.”
Commenting on the skills she has gained during her apprenticeship, Katie Wilcox said: “This training has really pushed me to learn new skills within my job role, boosting my capabilities and potential, and teaching me that self-improvement is the key to success in everything that I do.”
Natalie Lane, an Account Manager at Chamber Training said: “Coventry City Council is supporting small to medium businesses to acquire the skills they need to thrive. It’s a simple, straight forward process to request the apprenticeship levy funding and it can really make an impact on the future success of your business. We are delighted that Society for the Environment was able to take on Katie as an apprentice and we wish her all the best in her chosen career path.
“We would urge SMEs to get in touch with us to find out if they are eligible to access the funding. Coventry City Council is particularly interested in transferring funds to employers that can commit to recruiting people from Coventry as apprentices for care leavers, young people, particularly those who are not in education, employment or training, parents or carers looking to return to work and people with disabilities.”
To find out more, contact a member of the Business Development Team at Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk