Running a small business is challenging at the best of times and, with tight budgets, it can be difficult to invest in training. But many don’t realise that they can benefit from training for small businesses which is completely or 95% funded by the government, as well as additional grants and incentives.
What funded training is available?
For businesses that don’t pay the apprenticeship levy, apprenticeship training is 100% funded for 16-18 year old apprentices and 95% funded for apprentices aged 19+.
Apprentices are not just about trades like plumbing and hairdressing and they are not just about employing a young person. Apprenticeship training is available for virtually any job role in any sector and it can be used for new recruits, as well as to train existing members of staff of any age.
There are over 600 apprenticeship standards on the Skills England website approved for delivery from level 2 up to level 7 in the following areas, meaning that there is an enormous number of options when considering apprenticeship training for small businesses:
- Agriculture, environment and animal care
- Business and administration
- Care service
- Catering and hospitality
- Construction
- Creative and design
- Digital
- Education and childcare
- Engineering and manufacturing
- Hair and beauty
- Health and science
- Legal, finance and accounting
- Protective services
- Sales, marketing and procurement
- Transport and logistics
Are there additional incentives?
The government also offers companies a grant for recruiting new apprentices: £1,000 for employing a 16-18 year old apprentice. There are also other financial incentives. For example, employers do not have to make national insurance contributions for apprentices up to the age of 25. Find out more in our finances insight blog.
How do apprenticeships work for small businesses?
Apprenticeship training has many advantages over other types of courses, beyond the financial advantages. For example, if you send your employee on a short course, it won’t have been tailored to their specific job role and your small business. Apprenticeship standards were created by employers, not academics. They are adaptable and flexible, with the potential for aspects of the training to be tailored to different industries and individuals. This makes apprenticeship training more beneficial and relevant than most other courses and training options.
Secondly, employees won’t always apply things they’ve learned on a course in their job role. This could be because the training wasn’t relevant, they don’t understand how to apply it or various other reasons. Apprenticeships are not just about building up the individual’s skills, knowledge and behaviours; they are also about ensuring that these are being effectively applied in the workplace.
Thirdly, short courses usually focus exclusively on knowledge or skills. For example, an administration course may provide business knowledge e.g. stakeholders and policies, and/or business skills e.g. planning and communication. But it probably won’t involve developing the individual’s behaviours e.g. adaptability and responsibility. This isn’t the case in apprenticeship training – which covers the knowledge, skills and behaviours which would be required to be effective in the role. This more holistic approach to developing the individual maximises the impact they are going to have on your small business.
Thinking about training for small businesses?
If you’re not sure if or how apprenticeship training could work for your small business, get in touch and we can talk it through with you. We’ve worked with thousands of small businesses across England over the last 45 years and can provide you with expert advice on how you can benefit from this cost-effective training solution.