– If you are a Non-Levy paying (less than 3million turnover per annum [SME]) company and thinking of possibly taking on an Apprentice(s) this year, please let us know by Friday 24th May. Due to low National funding availability for Apprentices within this bracket we must ensure our training providers have made sufficient provisions to accommodate your new-start employee numbers before September.

The reasoning for this ‘Tremor’ is that the money UK Government made available for covering this education has been well under-budgeted, more and more industries have jumped on the Apprenticeship band-wagon and more and more apprenticeship Non-levy funding is being utilised than expected.

Don’t waste the opportunity that the workboat Crewmember Apprenticeship in England has given you in England to get up to £19k of government funding towards the cost of the 2 year apprenticeship!

On a positive note

We are very pleased to announce there is now an additional possible source of funding for ‘SME’ (Non-Levy paying companies) looking to take on an Apprentice under the Workboat Crewmember Apprenticeship Scheme.  After consultation, the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights (WCS) has decided to extend its current sponsorship of SME company Apprentices – to include Workboat Operators! The WCS sponsor individual companies and their Apprentice (on individual basis) covering the cost for the Apprentice’s first year’s wages up to a maximum of £18,500.

Webpage of the WCS Apprenticeship scheme here

The scheme is directed at Micro or SME companies who have either not taken on an Apprentice beforehand, or are taking on an Apprentice for the first time for some years -i.e. they are seeking to encourage small firms to start training their own Apprentices, by funding the first year of the Apprentices wages, based on approximately £4.50/hr.

There is a detailed application form to complete and return to Andrew Levene, the Shipwrights Apprenticeship Scheme Manager, as the WCS needs to be reassured that the company are genuinely committed to the training and that the candidate is suitable.  Your application, if deemed suitable by Andrew Levene, will be passed to the WCS funding Committee who review all applications and decide which companies and therefore apprentices to sponsor each year.

The WCS currently aim to support approximately 20 apprentices per year under this scheme and looking to increase that number in the coming years.

As most Apprenticeships commence in August the WCS is actively seeking applications form companies who are looking to / have just taken on a trainee to start their apprenticeship in September – therefore, this is a good moment for you, if you are interested to follow the links to the Application form and see what you need to do to apply for this funding.  Should you have any queries, in the first instance by all means contact Kerrie or myself as usual, or alternatively, you may wish to contact Andrew Levene, the Scheme Manager direct on;-

Tel:  07535 365101      e-mail: sascheme@shwrights.co.uk

Recognising that our apprenticeship includes block release periods away at college, WCS may consider contributing towards the travel costs and possibly accommodation costs for the apprentice, but these are very much at the discretion of the WCS funding committee.

Given we are all working in a tough economic environment at present we see this as an excellent opportunity for any SME workboat member to be able to get additional funding (on top of the government Workboat apprenticeship funding, which is approx £19k for non-levy paying companies,such as SMEs.

We would urge you all to take the time to follow the links and read more about the scheme.