THE Mayor of West Yorkshire has visited a business that has benefitted from a scheme to boost apprenticeship.

During National Apprenticeship Week, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire visited Care2Care, a business who through the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Service have secured £30,000 to employ 10 new apprentices in Level 2, Adult Care Worker apprenticeship standards delivered by training provider, Paragon Skills.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority supported the transfer of funding between Santander and Care2Care.

The Levy Transfer Service, engages with apprenticeship levy paying businesses to encourage them to pledge up to 25 per cent of their unspent apprenticeship levy through the service.

Pledged levy is then transferred to non-levy paying businesses taking on apprentices to cover 100 per cent of the training costs.

Ms Brabin said: “Being able to meet with the Care2Care team, including their apprentices, has really brought to life how fantastic the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Service is. Without it, these 10 apprentices wouldn’t have been given this opportunity to start professions we so desperately need, not only in West Yorkshire but nationally too.

“Supporting over 220 apprentices across West Yorkshire and York is a brilliant achievement and I encourage any levy paying business to get in touch so that their funding can be used to support more people into employment whilst growing our talent pools and boosting our local economy.”

Care2Care, are a domiciliary provider of personal and social care to vulnerable people living in their own homes. They employ 40 people across West Yorkshire, 10 of which are apprentices and provide crucial care to over 52 people, some of which have complex needs, needing up to 3 carers at a time.

Gill Walbank, CEO at Care2Care, related her immense gratitude at the generosity and support from benefactors, Santander: “This significant contribution from our wonderful colleagues at Santander, has already impacted upon our staff team, in an extremely positive way. We have been able to provide multiple opportunities for progression and development, and will continue to do so, thanks to the vision of our levy funders.

“We have also been able to secure a new and exciting training facility, which will further enhance the experience for our staff teams, and ensure we can provide the skills and knowledge, to our staff team, in achieving the highest levels of care and support, to our very special cohort of service users. Our thanks cannot be expressed enough”.

Through engaging with Levy paying companies, the Combined Authority aims to secure £3million of Levy to support businesses and their future workforce through apprenticeships.

Businesses with an annual pay bill of over £3million pay an apprenticeship levy, if their levy is not spent within 24 months, it is returned to central government. This transfer service allows the levy to be spent on support for local people and businesses, instead of expiring in apprenticeship service accounts.

For non-levy paying employers, the government will fund 95% of the cost of training an apprentice, with a 5% contribution from the employer. A levy transfer avoids the business having to pay the 5% contribution, which is an attractive offer when apprenticeships can cost up to £27,000.

Pledging companies include Amazon, ASDA, Santander and Yorkshire Building Society.

To find out more about pledging your unspent levy please visit: https://www.the-lep.com/business-support/skills-and-training/guidance-for-businesses-wanting-to-transfer-their-unspent-levy-funding/ Or if you are a training provider looking for funding to support apprentices please visit: https://www.the-lep.com/business-support/skills-and-training/guidance-for-training-providers/