Enhanced apprenticeship support for South Norfolk and Broadland Businesses
Businesses trading in South Norfolk or Broadland can benefit from enhanced apprenticeship support thanks to Building Futures.
Building Futures aims to increase the number of apprenticeships in South Norfolk and Broadland through providing employers with free guidance and support to access apprenticeships and skills solutions.
Project support is primarily targeted at sole traders and SMEs with limited experience of apprenticeships either looking to create an opportunity for a new hire or upskill existing staff. With dedicated resource to support employers in South Norfolk and Broadland the Building Futures team can support you every step of the way to setting up the perfect fit apprenticeship or skills solution.
Practical support includes
- Identifying apprenticeship opportunities,
- Promotion of vacancies
- Free online training for apprentice mentors and managers
Financial support includes
- Guidance on government grants and incentives
- Apprentice wage forecasting
- Micro grant for eligible businesses to support with onboarding costs
Building Futures case studies
Twenty-year-old Mollie Rudd from Norwich has got the break into marketing she had hoped for, and her employer is receiving some welcome support thanks to a Building Futures grant.
Mollie’s role promoting the training delivered by Norwich School of Hair and Beauty is giving her the opportunity to mix her passion for hair and aesthetics with the skills she picked up while doing her photography A Level.
“There are not many marketing apprenticeships, so I feel lucky to have got this,” says Mollie of her Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketing Apprenticeship. “It doesn’t feel like work.”
Small to medium businesses or budding apprentices in Broadland or South Norfolk can apply to the scheme funded by the UK Government and launched by Apprenticeships Norfolk. A £2,000 grant is available to firms thinking of hiring an apprentice, and there are a limited number of £5,000 grants designed for those seeking to develop green skills in their workforce.
Mollie’s story is not untypical and illustrates the need for businesses willing to offer apprenticeships to receive financial support. When she left school, she got a job on the reception desk at Spire Norwich Hospital, which boosted her self-confidence and taught her how to deal with people. However, she felt drawn towards marketing and when she saw the opportunity for an apprenticeship she applied.
Megan Holmes, 23, the office manager at NSHB who herself is doing a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, says Mollie has made an immediate impact. “The photos she has taken are so professional and that could be make or break in terms of someone clicking through to one of our courses and signing up.
“Having Mollie doing social media means other people in the business can get on with their roles. We needed that person who could do it as their main focus.”
Building Futures has received £250,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.