Everything you need to know about the Lancashire Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant
Nurture homegrown talent with the newly-launched Lancashire Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant. This apprenticeship grant gives your company the opportunity to invest in the future, nurture the talent that you need most, and gain Government support.
Whether you’re interested in hiring someone new or upskilling an existing employee, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Lancashire’s Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant.
The benefits of hiring a young apprentice
Young apprentices bring an array of benefits to your business.
Apprenticeships come in many shapes and sizes making them ideal for people at any level. Ranging from levels 1-7, apprenticeships let you train people from GCSE to Masters-level so you can get the exact skills you need.
Hiring a young apprentice helps you:
Nurture the skills you need most
Develop a culture of learning and development
Boost employee morale and improve staff retention
Actively support diversity and inclusion at work
Benefit from the fresh perspectives of young apprentices
Hiring a young apprentice is an investment in their future, as much as the future of your business.
“Apprenticeships let you nurture talent from the ground up. The work is very innovative. Compared to post-University Graduate schemes, young apprenticeships help people grow and develop their knowledge earlier, while gaining practical real-world skills”
What is the Lancashire Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant?
The Lancashire Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant is a fully-funded programme that gives businesses in Lancashire the opportunity to hire young apprenticeships.
Digital and tech businesses or businesses hiring for digital skills in Lancashire can receive a £3,000 grant to fund the hiring of a young apprentice.
There is no restriction on what role you can hire for — you can hire and train an apprentice in the skills you need most. This presents a great growth opportunity for Digital businesses in Lancashire who want to nurture talent to meet the current and future needs of their business.
“The benefits of hiring a digital apprentice are unmeasurable. Apprenticeships are a great alternative route into a career compared to going down the University or Digital Bootcamp path. Apprenticeships aren’t just about hiring end of school or college-leavers. This programme is open to anyone up to the age of 25 years old so they can scale their skills and bring innovative ideas and a curious, dedicated mindset to local digital businesses”
The Young Apprenticeship Grant gives digital businesses the chance to hire apprentices at any level. Hiring an apprentice at a level four is equivalent to hiring someone at a foundation degree level or higher. As you nurture those level 4 apprentices over a 2-3 year period, your company will benefit from having motivated and skilled employees who grow as your company grows.
Businesses hiring young apprentices foster employees who grow with the business and develop a deeper understanding of the company and wider industry as they learn on the role.
The Lancashire Digital Apprenticeship Grant offering:
Digital businesses that receive the Digital Young apprenticeship grant can:
Hire up to 3 apprentices within a 3-month window
Receive £3,000 grant per apprentice
Gain free business support covering existing landscape and future opportunity, recruitment, provision, standards and impartial advice
Hire apprentices at any level, based on your company needs
Put existing employees through the apprenticeship or hire new apprentices
The Lancashire Digital Apprenticeship Grant eligibility:
Digital businesses interested in applying for the grant will need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
Have a Lancashire presence
Be earning less than £50 million revenue
Have less than 250 employees
Apprentice must under 25 years old
No apprenticeship starts in the previous two years
Apprentice must start before 31st August 2023
Must hire an apprentice for a minimum of a 12-month period
If your business has hired apprenticeships before, you can still apply for this grant. You also don’t have to hire a new recruit, allowing you to train someone in-house and upskill your existing employees, as long as they are under 25 years old.
If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Paul Hannant at paul.hannant@lancashirelep.co.uk or 07816195225
Invest in the future with the Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant
The Digital Young Apprenticeship Grant is a great opportunity for local digital and tech businesses and tech-associated companies.
To learn more about the grant and register your interest, reach out to Paul Hannant, the project co-ordinator for the Young Apprenticeship Grant by email via paul.hannant@lancashirelep.co.uk or give him a call on 07816195225.