SMEs get Budget apprenticeship boost
The Chancellor has announced he will extend the grants for smaller businesses to support more than 100,000 apprenticeships.
George Osborne said he wants “to make sure we give young people the skills they need to get good jobs in this modern world”.
The
Institution of Engineering and Technology(
IET) said the priority now will be to make sure SMEs in the electrotechnical and other engineering disciplines are given a generous share of the grants the Government is making available.
“After all, given the huge shortfall of engineers, apprenticeships represent a valuable lifeline to the future of engineering in the UK,” said Paul Davies,
IETHead of Policy.
“Our concern for some time has been that the Government’s proposed reforms for apprenticeships would have a negative effect on the number of SMEs taking on apprentices due to additional costs and increased red tape,” he said.
“We hope that this announcement from the Government, in addition to the apprenticeship funding reform consultation feedback, will result in sufficient steps being taken to support SMEs providing apprenticeships.”
