Funding for training

The Skills Academy has a national network of Account Managers who are able to advise on national and local funding opportunities.

This is a complex area which is constantly changing. Here you will find an overview of the support that is available; this will vary in level according to learner eligibility and other criteria. To find out more information on the sector-specific opportunities that are available that meet your training and business needs please contact your Account Manager.

Joint Investment Programme (JIP) - 50% towards sector training costs

The Joint Investment Programme (JIP) offers a rare opportunity to access government support. From 01 August 2011 employers will be able to get 50 per cent towards a range of qualifications from smaller units and awards to full NVQs. The JIP programme is designed to support skills in areas key to economic recovery and future growth. In the current economic environment where funded training is very unusual, high demand is anticipated for bite-sized training such as:

  • Units from Business Improvement Techniques
  • New Cogent Resource Efficiency qualifications
  • Smaller technical qualifications e.g. Certificate in Chemical and
  • Pharmaceutical Based Process Operations
  • ILM Awards in Business Awareness and Managing Operations
  • 50 per cent funding for larger qualifications is also available
  • Leadership and Management - SME offer (2 - 249 employees & high/fast growth potential)

A government grant of up to £1,000 is available for use on management and leadership development activity, such as any training agreed with the skills adviser. You will have to match-fund this grant - e.g. to receive a grant of £500 your business will have to contribute £500 of its own money. An advisor from the new Leadership and Management Advisory Service (LMAS) will help eligible employers identify and fund development opportunities for their senior leader. For regional telephone numbers go to,

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1087604465&type=RESOURCES

Statutory entitlements

Skills for Life - literacy and numeracy continues to be funded up to Level 2. Inventive providers embed these programmes in other training courses eg manual handling, first aid, internet etc. Providers should be happy to discuss this with you.

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages ) will cease to be funded from August 2011.

Level 2  - from August employees without a Level 2 qualification will still be entitled access to a free full Level 2 qualification. SME employees will be able to access co-funding (50%) if the contribution towards the Level 2 qualification is matched by the employer. Large employers cannot access funding for those aged 25+. Co-funding for units and smaller qualifications are only available through sector-based or unit trials programmes - see JIP below.

Level 3 - will only be funded if the candidate doesn't have a Level 2 qualification and is working at Level 3. There are no entitlements for additional Level 3 funding unless it is part of the JIP programme (see below). There will be no statutory funding at all for workplace Level 3s for the over 24s from August 2012; the government is proposing a loan system for all training above Level 3 (similar to university students) including Apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships  - continue to be co-funded but from 2013 will be funded through loans for those aged 24+. There is an expectation that the 50% employer contribution will be checked by the Skills Funding Agency from August 2011.

Funding
Women & Work

Building a diverse workplace through skills

The Cogent SSC Women and Work programme is a successful and established initiative for the science-using industries to support the skills development of women, particularly into non-traditional technical roles. Employers are encouraged to review the skills development needs of their business and where a skills gap or a career progression opportunity is identified among female staff they may be eligible for a maximum £600 grant (per person) for their development.

It is not targeted at any particular qualification, but supports any skills intervention that will add value to the company bottom line and promote the development of women in the workforce.

Process and costs

As part of the Women and Work offer, employers are encouraged to identify the skills needs of their business and potential female candidates. This leads to a completed individual training plan or where the company identifies more than one beneficiary a company training plan. The plan(s) is submitted to Cogent for a compliance check and employers are notified of the maximum grant available for the activities. Key points for consideration include:

Employers must make a 50% contribution to the 'total' costs of training - including in kind costs such as mentoring and time off for training

  • 15% of the total cost must be paid by the employer to a provider/accreditor of training or, other training delivery expenses
  • In house training is eligible but must have an element of accreditation to aid future learner development
  • Statutory training obligations are not supported

If you want to find out more about the Women and Work programme contact Julia Bennett. 

Women & Work
The Women and Work project has a real capacity to change lives and perceptions of women in the polymer industries. Through it, women are being given fantastic opportunities in the industry that they have often never thought possible.

Julia Bennett, Women and Work Project Manager

    • Tees Valley Apprenticeship Programme

    Supporting apprentice recruitment in the Tees Valley

    The Tees Valley Apprenticeship Programme (TVAP) is a £1.8m fund designed to help sustain and expand employment related training in theTeesValley, through the successful training of over 150 engineering apprentices. It is just one of the workstreams from the Tees Valley Industrial Programme (TVIP) designed to support the economy of the Tees Valley through a package of industrial support, enterprise, training and innovation mechanisms.

    Funding is designed to accommodate apprentices to complete their frameworks and to sustain their prospects of employment in theTeesValley. As such all employers providing industry relevant products and services from premises located in Tees Valley, or hosting engineering apprentices from the Tees Valley, are eligible to participate.

    The programme provides employers with the funding required to retain or employ those apprentices currently at risk or those who have already been made redundant. The fund will also help employers to host work experience for apprentices receiving training allowances and sponsor apprenticeship completers to enter higher education progression opportunities.

    To date, over 250 apprentices have successfully been supported through TVAP.

    Case studies:

    TVAP
    TVAP means that there has never been a better time to employ an apprentice. Apprentices are a sound investment and I have seen first hand the number of benefits that employing apprentices can bring to a business. We want TVAP to leave a legacy in the Tees Valley. We are not just focused upon this package of support, we want to drive home the long-term benefits and ultimately increase the number of employers looking to recruit apprentices that will become the skilled workforce of the future.

    George Ritchie, Senior Vice President, Sembcorp and Chair of TVAP.

    • Skills Academy Apprenticeship Grant for North East SMEs available now

    AGE 16 to 24

    The new AGE 16 to 24 year olds scheme is aimed at helping eligible employers in the region to offer young people employment through the Apprenticeship programme, by providing wage grants to assist employers in recruiting their first apprentice.

    The Skills Academy will provide grants to small and medium sized employers (SMEs) recruiting 16 to 24 year olds with a value of £1,500 to encourage new employers to take on new apprentices. The £1,500 is in addition to the training costs of the Apprenticeship framework which are met in full for young people aged 16 to 18 and 50% for those aged 19 to 24.

    The AGE 16 to 24 grant is available now from the Skills Academy and will run until March 2013 for eligible employers who recruit an apprentice aged 16-24 for the first time.

    The new Apprenticeship grant of £1,500 is payable in two instalments, to those employers who commit to employ one or more 16 to 24 year old apprentices for the first time. The payment is a grant and is exempt from VAT.

    Priority will be given to small-medium sized employers with less than 250 employees to recruit an apprentice for the first time. Large employers (more than 250 employees) are not eligible for support through this initiative. But we do want to encourage take up within their small-medium enterprises (SME) supply chain.

    Priority will be given to SMEs with less than 250 employees. Large employers (more than 250 employees) are not eligible for support through this scheme, which is designed to stimulate employment in the SME sector. But we do want to encourage take up with within their SME supply chain, and are grateful to those who can publicise the scheme.

    Call the Skills Academy on 01325 740 900 to discuss the scheme further.

    AGE