The Gloucestershire College Business Hub has given out over £150,000 in AGE 16-24 (Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16-24 year olds) to Gloucestershire companies over the past year
AGE 16-24 is a Government incentive to encourage first time recruitment of apprentices. Eligible companies can claim £1,500 for up to 10 apprentices recruited over 12 months. The £1,500 is an additional grant to the already funded training costs of an Apprenticeship framework.
Alex Kell, Business Development Manager at the Business Hub, says, “We are really pleased to be able to provide support for businesses taking on apprentices. They are a great addition to any workforce and we hope that the AGE 16-24 initiative will encourage more companies to recruit apprentices now it has been extended. These grants have enabled us to help small businesses take on their first ever employee, and to help Gloucestershire SMEs build strength in their teams with emerging talent.”
The GC Business Hub is anticipating a further £50,000 will be given out via the AGE 16-24 grant before the end of the summer. Alex says, “AGE 16-24 was due to end this summer, but due to its success, the National Apprenticeship Service has extended the scheme to 31st December 2013. This is great news for the Gloucestershire economy, and we are delighted to be able to help even more local businesses take on apprentices with the grant.”
Awarded Gloucestershire Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year in 2012, the Gloucestershire College Business Hub is one of the leading providers of training for businesses in the South West and the largest provider of apprenticeships in Gloucestershire, working with over 1,000 employers.
To find out more about how employing an apprentice can benefit your business and how Gloucestershire College Business Hub can help you, or for more information on the AGE 16-24 grant, please call one of the GC Business Hub Business Consultants on 01452 563400.
Gloucestershire College is a successful college of further and higher education in Gloucestershire with three main campuses in Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean. The college offers a wide range of education and training programmes, including A-Levels and GCSEs, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, work-based learning, basic skills courses, higher education, short courses for business, part-time day and evening courses and English for overseas students. Gloucestershire College welcomes over 5,000 full-time students and over 10,000 part-time students each year, and employs 1350 members of staff across all sites. Find out more at www.gloscol.ac.uk
