Government funding announcement perfectly timed with ACA new apprenticeship standard launch
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
For English-based cycle business there has never been a better time to take on an apprentice in cycle maintenance!
Yesterday the Government has announced that a total of £1.6bn investment will be made into scaling up employment support schemes, traineeships and apprenticeships to help people seeking jobs. This is particularly aimed at young people worst hit by the crisis.
Businesses will now be given £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25. In addition to this, the Government is encouraging employers to hire apprentices aged over 25 with a new £1,500 bonus that will be given to the employer per employee; this is running from 1st August 2020 to 31st January 2021. For the first time ever, the Government will also pay employers £1000 to take part in new traineeships with triple the number of places available, equalling a £111 million investment scale up traineeships in 2020-21 ensuring more young people aged 16-24 have access to high quality training. The incentives also include a £17 million of funding to triple the number of sector-based work academy placements in 2020-21.
This is in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the Government already provides for new 16-18-year-old apprentices and those aged under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Activate Cycle Academy Apprenticeships
The Government announcement is perfectly timed with Activate Cycle Academy's launch of a brand new apprenticeship standard for bicycle mechanics! This Level 2, 18 month programme will replace the old frameworks from 1st August, 2020.
Full details about the rollout of this new standard will follow in the next few days. However, in a recent announcement from ACA they have already disclosed that Cytech will play a key part in the new standard: "with our background in delivering Cytech technical training to the cycle trade, you can be sure that Cytech features heavily as part of the qualifications that apprentices will gain during the apprenticeship - the cycle trade asked, and we listened."
Cytech is the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians. Cytech delivers training and promotion of technical skills to the cycle trade and enthusiasts worldwide.
Apprenticeship training has always been heavily funded by the Government, but after today's announcement, it becomes an even more attractive training proposition for staff for a lot more businesses.
For more information about Activate Cycle Academy's apprenticeship schemes visit their website here or contact them at cycles@activatelearning.ac.uk.