As National Apprenticeship week shines a light on the positive impact apprenticeship programmes have, six SMEs supporting vital engineering and manufacturing, care services and science industries across the South-West are benefiting from a £451,879 funding boost, donated by Serco from the company’s unspent apprenticeship levy fund.
One of the sectors to receive a donation in the region includes Care Services of which Thurlestone Court Ltd received £6,879 to support one apprentice to be a Leader in Adult Care (Level 5 Care Services).
The care home provides residential care for the elderly that have dementia, mental health conditions, or physical disabilities in Devon.
The process of ‘levy gifting’ is when a company can donate up to 50 per cent of its surplus levy towards funding apprenticeships for SMEs that might not be able to afford to themselves, instead of returning the funds to HM Treasury.
Serco funding is supporting training for 26 apprentices, placed with six local SMEs in four sectors across the South-West.
Employment sectors in South-west England to receive a boost include:
-Engineering and manufacturing received £397,000.
-Health and science industries received £28,000.
-Education and childcare received £12,000.
Shaun Stacey, Chief People and Culture Officer at Serco UK and Europe, said: “Serco’s donation of unspent levy funds to SMEs across England demonstrates our dedication to supporting training and employment to impact a better future. Apprenticeships offer a great start for many people to learn new skills and develop their careers. As a large employer, we take our social value commitments seriously and recognise that levy gifting is a great way of developing talent in key sectors. Without our pledge, these SMEs might not otherwise be able to afford to fund these opportunities.”
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