Update on New Funding for Traineeships

Written by Calvin Bowers

There have been significant new updates for traineeships, including an imminent deadline for applications.

Here is everything you need to know.

In July 2020, the government announced its Plan for Jobs, which is supported by up to £30 billion in public funds. The Plan came as a response to the impending economic impact of coronavirus.

The Plan for Jobs involves a scheme to encourage more traineeships in the workplace across the UK. The government hope to achieve this by offering a £1000 incentive to employers.

This scheme is trying to assist young people, who the economic ramifications of coronavirus have hurt the most. Recent studies show young people make up more universal credit claimants than any other age group, with 156,000 losing work in recent months.

As such, the government announced that this traineeship incentive would only apply to under 25-year-olds, in an attempt to give young people a leg up into new employment.

What is a Traineeship?

A traineeship is geared towards those who are finding it difficult to find employment. As such, the traineeship must include particular functional skills, including how to write a CV and approach an interview. It also means that the candidate cannot have more than a Level 3 qualification.

By law, a traineeship has to provide at least 70 hours of a work placement. However, it can last up to a year. The traineeship is unpaid, although the government will cover all your training costs.

For more information, see our page which includes a guide to everything there is to know about traineeships.

What Did the Plan for Jobs Say?

The Plan for Jobs committed to investing £111 million into traineeships in the hope of tripling overall participation. This includes £1,000 to any employer who takes on a 16-24-year-old as part of a traineeship. The employer can claim this grant up to ten times.

What Has Changed?

Just this week the ESFA has announced that it is running a procurement opportunity to allow providers and employers to access the funding. This announcement involves the condition that these employers and providers must be able to provide high-quality traineeships from February 2021.

The ESFA will administer this process through the Jaggaer portal. If you are an employer looking to apply to this scheme, follow this link to the login.

When is the Deadline for Applications?

There is a very short turnaround, as the deadline for employers and providers to submit a completed application is 17.00 GMT on 28 October 2020. The deadline for any enquiries or clarifications is 12:00 (noon) GMT on 23 October 2020.

There will be more information regarding traineeships for 16-18-year-olds soon. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the update.

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Last Updated: Friday May 5 2023
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