You’re hired: Government asked to help small businesses deliver apprentice boost
Small English businesses could double the number of apprentices they take on with help from the government, a new report has claimed.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said that if the government gets incentive and support packages right, small firms could take on more than two million.
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The report said apprenticeship reform is at a “make-or-break moment” and that small firms are “critical to achieving the government’s target of reaching three million new apprentices by 2020”.
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of FSB member companies already employ an apprentice, and a further 24 per cent would consider doing so in the future. Applying this logic across the rest of England’s 4.7m small firms, the FSB calculates that more than one million new apprenticeships could be created.
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But the FSB said training costs are a barrier and has urged the government to provide more generous small employer incentive.
Mike Cherry, FSB national chairman, said: “We are at a make-or-break moment. We need the Government to hit the right balance between incentives and support. While many small firms are committed to apprenticeships, many more continue to be worried about the time and personal commitment required.”