West of England apprenticeships fund receives six-figure pledges

A total of £100,000 has been pledged during this year's National Apprenticeship Week to a scheme helping people across the West of England to develop new skills.

Last week Bath & North East Somerset Council and the Southern Co-op agreed to share £75,000 and £25,000 respectively to the region's Share to Support scheme, which is run by the West of England Combined Authority and The Western Training Provider Network (WTPN).

The scheme allows apprentice-levy paying employers to pass on their unused levy funds to allow smaller local businesses to pay for the costs of training new starters or develop existing employees' skills set.

With the donations, more than £1m has so far been pledged to the fund, with Bristol City Council, GKN Aerospace and the University of Bristol among the other organisations to contribute.

Southern Co-op had previously pledged £50,000 to the scheme, with that money having already funded the training of business administration and healthcare apprenticeships.

"Knowing the impact apprenticeships can have on people's lives, we are delighted to have been able to further top up this pledge to a total of £75,000," said Sarah Kavanagh, Southern Co-op's Business Transformation and HR Director.

"It is incredibly important that we continue to recognise the difference this training can have on individuals and businesses alike. We look forward to hearing many more inspiring stories from apprentices in the months ahead."

Bath & North East Somerset Council added that it was currently supporting three organisations in the region to develop their staff towards professional qualifications.

The WTPN is a not for profit membership organisation of training providers and colleges in the West Country. WTPN director Alex Richards said that between £4m to £8m of apprenticeship levy was returned to the Treasury each year by larger businesses in the West of England.

Employers can pledge their unspent apprenticeship levy or find out how to get support with apprenticeships by visiting www.wtpn.org.uk/apprenticeship-levy-transfer.