Pictured above: Sarah Hill, Apprenticeship Manager of national training organisation Positive Outcomes

Four-hundred-and-fifty grants of up £2000 each have been made available to East Midlands' small employers taking on an unemployed Apprentice aged, 16, 17 or 18 years, under a scheme unique in the region and run by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).

National work-based and commercial training organisation Positive Outcomes, which has its head office just off J28 of the M1 and is ranked as one of the Top 10 of independent providers of government-funded training in the UK*, can help local employers access the fund and manage application for it. 

However, the deadline for the grant is the 14th March 2011. By this date, either the Apprenticeship must have started or a vacancy been created, in order for employers to qualify for the grant. Positive Outcomes is urging local employers with less than 50 full time staff to act quickly so as not to miss out.

The company's Apprenticeship Team Manager Sarah Hill, explains:

"There are a total of 450 grants of £2000 each available to small employers in the East Midlands, with less than 50 employees, who wish to take on an Apprentice for the first time. 

"Latest figures show that of these 450 grants, only 113 have been applied for. 

"Our team of specialist Apprenticeship officers can advise local employers if they meet the criteria for the grant - which includes that either the employer or the apprentice must be based in the East Midlands. We can also work with them to complete their application for the funding, and make sure both the funding and Apprentice are in place ahead of the March deadline.

"The NAS grant funding scheme is unique in the East Midlands, but the deadline for applications is fast approaching. This would be an ideal opportunity for local employers to take advantage of valuable financial support from the Government, taking on an Apprentice between 16 and 18 years old." 

She adds: "As a national training provider, we work with Apprentices on a one-to-one basis and in their workplace, so there is no college day release structure to the training. We also provide Government-funded NVQ training up to Level 3 for employees aged 16 and upwards. NVQ Levels 4 and 5 Management training and an extensive portfolio of commercial business training is also available." 

The Government and NAS launched the fund late in 2010. The grant is split into two payments to the employer - an initial £750 when the Apprentice starts, and the balance of £1250 after 13-weeks into the Apprenticeship, so long as the learner remains with the business.

The grant is funded by the European Social Fund and administered by NAS.

Sarah explains: "East Midlands' employers have been able to apply for funding since the 1st December 2010, but applications must be received before the 1st March 2011 to guarantee processing by the 14th March.

"The scheme here in the East Midlands is clearly in-line with the policies and objectives for the NAS, but also with funding and policies set out by the EU," says Sarah, "and supports the Government's commitment to Apprenticeships and new measures supporting their training announced by Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John Hayes in January 2011."

In his announcement, John Hayes MP said: "Apprenticeships are at the heart of our skills strategy because they are valued by employers and sought after by learners. By enshrining these characteristics in statue, we send a clear message to employers and learners that every Apprenticeship is a high quality investment in the skills they need for the future."

The Government set out plans to increase annual funding for adult Apprenticeships by up to £250m above the £398m a year funding inherited from the last Government, by 2014-15. It is reforming the programme to deliver 75,000 more apprenticeships places at advanced level and above.

The training division of Positive Outcomes already employs more than 100 staff across the UK and at its head office. It is currently looking to expand its Apprenticeship team this year, with two Apprenticeship Officers set to join this month.

The Positive Outcomes group of companies has a combined turnover in excess of £9million.

* Positive Outcomes is ranked as one of the Top 10 of independent providers of government-funded training in the UK, calculated on the company's success rates for learners completing their awards based on data taken from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) national averages for providers in England.