A government scheme giving small businesses £3,000 cash grants to take on an apprentice is set to come to an end this Thursday, 30th September.
The extra funding boost has aimed to help employers invest in the skills of their workforce during a national skills shortage.
Employers in England have until Thursday to arrange an apprenticeship and access £3,000 funding for an apprentice of any age, or £4,000 for taking on a young apprentice aged between 16 and 18.
Helen Booth, pictured, director of the HomeServe Foundation, which campaigns to increase the number of high-quality apprenticeships in the UK and champions ways to boost youth unemployment, said: “Employers who have been thinking about expanding their business and taking on an apprentice need to act very quickly to benefit from the current level of incentives.
“The scheme was a brilliant and timely move. The UK is in the middle of a skills crisis straddling many sectors including logistics, construction and trades and hospitality. These incentives are incredibly valuable if you’re a small business looking to take on more work and expand.”
According to a survey of small UK trades businesses conducted by the HomeServe Foundation, 80% of firms say the current apprenticeship incentives had helped their decision to take on an apprentice.
The recent survey found 84 per cent of trades firms planned to take on an apprentice to help with increased workloads.
According to the government, more than 60,000 claims for the incentives, which have been available since April, have been made for 16 to 24-year olds – with more than 19,000 for the over-25 age group.