The Skills Funding Agency has confirmed that almost £100million has been pledged to the delivery of new apprenticeship standards in the coming months and years. This money will be allocated towards ‘credible growth cases’, specifically for new apprenticeship standards with traineeships also standing to benefit.
The announcement this week confirmed that £30.1million has been allocated for the remainder of this funding year for apprenticeships and £10.3million for traineeships. The funding was also reviewed for the next funding year covering 2016/17, and £53.2m will be available for apprenticeship funding and £5.9million for traineeships.
This news will be welcomed by not only training providers who will be able to deliver and promote their apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities, but also potential learners and employers. Another positive to come from the announcement was the fact that it’s not only programmes delivering to 16-18 year old apprentices who will be benefit from the increased funding, but also those aged 19 and over.
The new standards that are expected to benefit from the funding are those to be considered high priority, and include higher and/or degree level apprenticeships, as well as food, farming, science, technology, engineering and maths.
Aspire Training Team works with employers and young people to place childcare, business administration and health & social care apprenticeships across the South. The training provider also offers traineeship programmes to those who are looking to improve their work-readiness and employability skills. If you’re interested in hiring or becoming an apprentice, or offering traineeship opportunities in your business, you can contact the team on 01202 551553 or email info@aspiretrainingteam.co.uk.
