Financial Incentives Available For Businesses to Employ an Apprentice

Westminster Kingsway College is urging restaurants and hospitality businesses to take up a new incentive to boost apprenticeships and fill their skills gaps during the pandemic. Under the Government scheme run by the National Apprenticeship Service, companies can receive up to £2,000 for each new apprentice they employ. The extra funding follows a 50 per cent drop in the number of apprenticeship starts in the UK. WestKing’s hospitality and culinary arts apprenticeships include commis chef and chef de partie training.

John Williams MBE, Executive Chef at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, said: “A chef’s apprenticeship is without doubt the best way a young person can start their career, gaining practical, hands on training. WestKing not only supports the apprentice, it underpins the knowledge which aids them to understand. The college encourages and helps to map out the apprentices’ career path, and of course, this can only benefit our industry, especially during these difficult times.”

Businesses can claim up to £2,000 for each new apprentice aged 18 to 24 and £1,500 for those aged 25 or over who start their training before 31 January 2021. The money is available to businesses of any size and from any sector, and can be used on anything to support the company’s costs from facilities and travel to uniforms and salaries.

Apprenticeships are available in a multitude of areas, in partnership with Capital City College Training, London’s largest Further Education provider of apprenticeships.

Jackie Chapman, Managing Director of CCCT, said: “It has never been more important to create opportunities for young people. With unemployment rising, job vacancies that used to be open to inexperienced and young individuals, are now receiving high levels of applicants from older and more experienced candidates who are attractive to employers as they come with skills.

“At CCCT we know the demand is there, as for every apprenticeship vacancy we advertise, we receive around 100 applicants, however there are simply too few vacancies to meet the demand. This threatens to leave this year school and college leavers with no opportunities to gain real work experience and start their careers.”

WestKing and CCCT are part of Capital City College Group, London’s largest college group, which also comprises City and Islington College and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.

Find out more, and apply for the financial incentive scheme here.