Havant Borough Council (HBC) is set to distribute £200k of new funds to support apprenticeship training within local small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).
Amazon, which has a delivery station in Havant, has pledged £200,000 from its Apprenticeship Levy Fund to HBC, to enable people across the borough to learn while they earn.
Working in partnership with Hampshire County Council and Solent Business & Skills Solutions (SBSS) to help transfer the levy money, the funding will be used to encourage SMEs in the Borough of Havant to create apprenticeships within their businesses and recruit.
Councillor Gillian Harris, Cabinet lead for Regeneration and Communities, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity, not just for our local businesses, but also for those living in the borough.
“Apprenticeships are a great option for businesses that are looking to expand their team but perhaps don’t have the financial capability to do so. It also means that businesses are supporting local people to develop their skills which contributes towards improving the overall local economy of the borough.”
Eugenie Teasley, Head of Impact at Amazon UK, said: “Apprenticeships open doors for people from all walks of life in our communities, which is why they have been such a big focus for us over the past decade. Having announced 1,000 new apprenticeships at Amazon earlier this year, we're excited to now be supporting Havant Borough Council and local SMEs as they create opportunities for local people to develop new skills and grow their careers."
Jackie Warren, from Growing Places childcare, said: “We are so grateful to HBC and Havant and South Downs College for advising us about the Amazon apprenticeship levy. It has enabled us to extend our Level 5 apprenticeships to three times the number of applicants. We have managed to successfully enrol 11 candidates for Level 5 apprenticeships and eight for Level 3. Upskilling our team is vital to our growth and success in retaining and growing the team of the future, so we’re very grateful for this opportunity to work together.”
Jodi Fair from SBSS said that they “are delighted to work with Havant Borough Council on distributing this generous levy pledge to small businesses in Havant and beyond. Transfer to Transform helps to support levy paying businesses in using their unspent levy in the community and for small businesses paying their apprenticeship training costs, for more information please visit Levy Transfer with T2T - Solent Business & Skills Solutions.”
Apprenticeships are widely recognised as a cost-effective way to recruit, improve diversity and fill skills gaps. In time, they can also help businesses grow, improve employee retention, and support the wider economy.
Launched by the Government, the Apprenticeship Levy allows organisations to pay a certain amount each year towards the cost of enabling new apprenticeships and upskilling existing employees.
Organisations generally use their levy to support those who take up apprenticeships in their own workplaces, but when that money is not spent it can be transferred to SMEs who do not have a levy fund themselves to cover apprenticeship learning and development.