Hundreds of new apprenticeships in Norfolk after £2m boost

Apprenticeships Norfolk’s levy support scheme has now supported 220 new apprenticeships at more than 120 local businesses.

The scheme enables unspent funds, which would otherwise be returned to the Treasury, to be transferred to employers to use to fund apprenticeships for new or existing staff.

Aviva, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the BBC are just some of the organisations that have transferred their unspent levy to the Apprenticeships Norfolk programme, which has reached a £2m milestone in transfers in its second financial year.

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Apprenticeships Norfolk’s levy support scheme has now supported 220 new apprenticeship starts at more than 120 businesses (Image: David Miko) Councillor Fabian Eagle, cabinet member for economic growth at Norfolk County Council, said: “So many businesses in our region need support with recruiting apprentices and developing the skills of their employees and the Levy Support Scheme has proved to be an excellent way of doing that.

“This money would otherwise be returned to the Treasury, but this allows us to keep it in and benefit Norfolk.”

Level 3 apprenticeships have been the most popular, with more than 100 starts and £970,000 in transferred funding.

There has also been more than 40 starts for Level 2 apprenticeships with transferred funds of £310,000.

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An additional 70 higher and degree apprenticeship opportunities have been created, ranging from Level 4 to 7.

By accessing an apprenticeship levy, businesses can save the 5pc co-investment fee towards training cost, which can range between £75 and £1,350.

It provides a solution for organisations with limited or no Learning and Development (L&D) budget, as a levy transfer can cover apprenticeships for new recruits as well as for existing members of staff.