Thirteen specially selected apprenticeships will receive a £3,000 per-apprentice funding boost from April, the Treasury has announced. This is part of a two-year £50 million pilot, in which the DfE will support eligible providers with an additional payment of £3,000 per start for delivery of 13 key in-demand Standards in three growth sectors: advanced manufacturing and engineering; green; and life sciences. These Standards have been selected based on feedback from stakeholders (including AAN members); evidence of skills shortages; and information about where there are currently moderate starts volumes (indicating that there is a case to stimulate growth, but also a reasonable base from which to grow starts). DfE will keep this initial selection under review and might add or remove Standards as the pilot develops and evidence or priorities emerge. Funding will be available to incentivise providers to grow training capacity, allowing them to overcome barriers to capital investment which stakeholders told us can be higher in the sectors selected to be the focus of this pilot. The funding will allow providers to invest in equipment, machinery, and capital requirements beyond what current funding rules allow. Click here for more.
