FINANCE NEWS
Taking action over apprentice grants
SECTT to hold talks with minister over funding scheme
Access to Scottish Government Apprenticeship Employer Grants will be discussed at ministerial level following an intervention by the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT). The training specialist is due to meet
Jamie Hepburn MSP, the Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, in the coming weeks to try to resolve the issue for electrical companies. The action was initiated after being discussed by SECTT, SELECT and the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) in response to concerns that businesses were being unfairly excluded. The grants
scheme, which opened in January, provides up to £5,000 for employers to take on an apprentice or upskill an existing worker through apprenticeship. However, the grants are only valid for apprentices recruited after 1 December 2020. This directly and adversely affects the electrical industry, which aligns with the academic year and has already taken on some 470 apprentices since the late summer of 2020. Anne Galbraith, Chief
Executive of SECTT, said: “It almost feels that we are being punished – and are certainly being disadvantaged – for being responsible and reliable and for being ahead of
the game by encouraging employers to give young people a chance. “Given that the industry has gone the
extra mile not only to afford young people a future, but also to enhance its skillsets, it would seem reasonable to ask that the eligibility date could be backdated to the start of the academic year. “Alternatively, the Scottish
Hepburn
Government could provide a fixed amount for employers who take on apprentices, rather than imposing this time restriction.” Ms Galbraith said she was looking forward to talks with the minister, adding: “We are grateful to Mr Hepburn for his prompt response and for listening to our concerns.”
Jamie
12 CABLEtalk FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021
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