The new fund will essentially remove the 5% fee that SMEs normally have to pay to take on an apprentice, making it easier to invest in young people. The WMCA covers a population of 4.2 million across Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire and the Marches LEPs.
Aldridge-based In-Comm Training operates three technical academies in the Black Country and Shropshire, and will be prompting SMEs and larger firms to make the most of unspent Apprenticeship Levy money currently available in the region.
The aim is to encourage employers to take on more young people in advanced manufacturing, digital skills and STEM-related apprenticeships as the area looks to cement its position as a global leader in engineering.
Bekki Phillips, managing director at In-Comm Training, says: “Any new programme that encourages greater adoption of vocational learning is welcomed, especially one that specifically targets STEM courses.
“We have to raise the region’s productivity and using unspent Levy money to offer apprenticeships to 16-18-year-olds is a great, long-term way of ensuring we are growing our workforces of the future.”
