Businesses in North Staffordshire are training the skilled employees of the future – thanks to support from a local authority to help them access funding.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has transferred some of its apprenticeship levy funds to back schemes across the area.
The latest recipients include precision sheet metal fabricators KMF, materials development company Lucideon and farm equipment supplier IAE.
A total of 22 companies and organisations – from across the private, public and voluntary sectors – are currently benefiting from the Levy Sharing Service run by the city council.
The aim of the initiative is to give career chances to young people and older employees as well as boosting the skills pool in the area.
KMF apprentices who are about to embark on an Apprenticeship Standards Engineering Manufacturing Technician course are undertaking training which is affiliated to NSG Newcastle College, supported by the levy transfer.
Lewis Franks started his career at KMF in 2017 and Scott Mowatt in 2018, both straight from school and they have already completed a Level 2 and Level 3 in Engineering at KMF’s own in-house training facility.
Scott is a planning/sales engineer and has his sights set on a commercial career with KMF while Lewis aims to be a welding technician and, in the longer term, a quality manager.
Meanwhile IAE has engaged 10 new engineering apprentices and Lucideon has begun recruiting six Materials Science Degree Apprentices, both schemes being supported by the council levy.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of the city council said: “It’s fantastic that we’re able to use our apprenticeship levy to support people across the city to develop their skills.
“It’s great for the apprentices involved, by improving their career prospects, and also great for Stoke-on-Trent as a whole. Increasing the talent pool in the city can only be a good thing for our residents, businesses and the local economy.”
The apprenticeship levy is also used extensively across council departments.
Early in the New Year, 11 existing council employees will be starting a specialist Arborist Apprenticeship and there will also be an intake of Social Work Degree Apprentices.
The city council’s Levy Share offer remains open to SMEs (and also larger companies that have exhausted their own levy).
For more information email [email protected].
- Large employers pay an apprenticeship levy of 0.5 per cent of their annual pay bill, with councils included from 2017. Funds raised are used to cover apprentices’ training costs.
