Chamber Patrons


SMEs get apprenticeship funding they can bank on


HSBC is helping the West Midlands Combined Authority kick-start a revolution in apprenticeships after agreeing to contribute its Apprenticeship Levy funding to a new regional pot. The banking giant will transfer its


unspent levy to help SMEs across the region fund apprenticeship training. The Lloyds Banking Group has


also signed up to the initiative, which allows West Midlands SMEs to apply for apprenticeship training funding through the WMCA. Firms with a wage bill over £3m


currently pay the levy to HMRC – and SMEs can apply for funding from this pot to pay up to 90 per cent of the costs to train their apprentices. However, some SMEs are still left


with training fees of around £2,700 per apprentice, which can make it prohibitively expensive. WMCA has agreed to use the


new cash to fund 100 per cent of apprenticeship training costs for SMEs.


Apprenticeship boost: Mayor Andy Street with Lloyds Banking Group’s Kathryn Marshall and HSBC’s Iain Heath


Iain Heath, head of emerging


talent UK, at HSBC said: “As the first major high street bank to introduce an apprenticeship programme we have seen first- hand the positive impact on the participants and our business. We really want to widen access to the same sort of opportunities.


“The WMCA have shown


creativity and vision to develop this ground-breaking opportunity and we hope that it inspires similar activity in other regions. “Apprenticeships can change


lives and now more talented West Midlands people will get the chances they deserve.”


New director for Wesleyan board


Wesleyan – the specialist financial services mutual for doctors, dentists, lawyers and teachers – has appointed Anne Torry to its board of directors. Anne (pictured)


has more than 20 years’ leadership experience, working internationally in both the life and savings and general insurance sectors, most recently as chief executive and head of executive at Zurich UK Life. Wesleyan chair, Nathan


Moss, said: “Anne’s industry experience brings further depth to the Wesleyan board and will be invaluable to us as we enter into a new strategic planning period.” Anne was previously a member of Wesleyan’s With Profits and Investment Committee and now sits on the Risk and Remuneration Committees. She is also a non-executive director at Aon UK Ltd.


April 2019 CHAMBERLINK 37


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