Training & Recruitment News

Update - Succes of £2,500 employer grant

On the 15^th January The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) announced that they would work in partnership with providers to offer a £2,500 incentive grant to employers who recruited new Apprentices aged 16-17.

Following the apparent success of this scheme the below message was issued to providers on 12^th February from Gavin Smith, Employer Services Director, National Apprenticeship Service.

“Dear Colleague

We have had an excellent response from employers to the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 and 17 year olds (AGE 16 and 17).

We are nearing the number of starts allocated to our region and it is a similar position across the country. Once we reach our allocation we will be unable to formally accept further grant applications.

We will however, maintain a ‘reserve list’ as it is possible that some of the opportunities will not be realised either as employers withdraw or if a suitable and eligible young person is not identified within the available time…

…We will constantly review the overall position - and if grant support becomes available we will notify you and formally move the employer opportunity from the reserve to the approved list...”

Although it is a disappointment to Rewards, and the employers that we work with, that this offer was so short-lived we would like to emphasise the fact that at present Rewards (Sussex offices) can offer FULL FUNDING for eligible candidates of ANY AGE to complete any of the following NVQs or Apprenticeships…

·        Business Administration

·        Customer Service

·        Management / Team Leading

·        Warehousing

·        Contact Centre

·        Hospitality (excluding Professional Cookery)

·        ITQ (Information Technology)

·        Taxi & Road Passenger Vehicle Driving

If you would like your business to benefit from either the recruitment of an Apprentice, or provide professional training to existing employees, then please contact Tracey Robertson in our Haywards Heath Head Office on 01444 413745 or email her at tracey.robertson@rewards-trc.co.uk

£2,500 grant available to employers who take on an Apprentice by 31st March 2010

Rewards is happy to announce that we are working in conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Service to provide a £2,500 incentive to employers to encourage the recruitment of 16 and 17 year old Apprentices.  It is usual for Apprentices of this age to also receive full government funding for their training with Rewards.

Apprenticeships are proven to develop the skills, motivation and efficiency of employees.  This nationally recognised vocational qualification is designed to raise the competency and performance of employees within their job roles and the assessment process allows the Apprentice to demonstrate their ability to perform well in their job role and meet the requirements of their employers. 

Rewards can support Apprentices in the following areas of your business:

* Customer Service

* Administration

* Information Technology

* Warehousing

* Hospitality & Catering

* Team Leading

* Contact centre adviser

The £2,500 grant can be received by small and medium sized employers who employ a new 16/17-year-old Apprentice who starts his/her Apprenticeship training by 31st March 2010.  Professional Rewards Assessors will support the Apprentice throughout their training by visiting them in the workplace at mutually agreed dates and helping them to compile a portfolio of evidence. 

The process is simple; if you would like to benefit from the recruitment of fresh talent into a paid position within one of the above areas of your business then contact Rewards!  We can prepare a short-list of potential Apprentices for you to interview and we will coordinate with the National Apprenticeship Service on your behalf to apply for the grant. Once eligibility is approved, the grant will be payable in two instalments; initially £1,500 and then the second £1,000 will be paid when the Apprentice has completed the first 12 weeks of their Apprenticeship.

Government funding for Apprentices aged 18-24 is also available via Rewards Training and currently funding for individuals aged 25+ is also available ... please ask for details!

Service available across Sussex and beyond.  For more information please contact Tracey Robertson at our Head Office in Haywards Heath on 01444 413745 or email her at tracey.robertson@rewards-trc.co.uk   

Awards ceremony held to celebrate local employee's training qualifications

The latest Rewards Awards Ceremony was held in December at our Head Office in Haywards Heath.  The ceremony saw numerous employees from a range of local employers receiving their Apprenticeship and Train to Gain NVQ qualifications and celebrating their achievements.  Achievers included employees from Sabre Telecoms, Switchcare Ltd, Amplicon, APH, Metro Taxis, Scorpio CBM, VW Heritage and Southern Water PLC . They received  their qualification from Marion Ward, CEO at Rewards, in front of an audience of family, friends and colleagues. Click here to see a photo from the ceremony.

Apprenticeship and NVQ schemes are proven to harness fresh talent, plug skills shortages and demonstrates commitment to employee's continuous professional development which can bring the business benefit of lower training and recruitment costs.  Apprenticeships and NVQs are designed around the specific job role that an individual holds and the requirements of the organisation where they work.  The emphasis is on training to match an individual's development needs then demonstrating the individual's capability to embed their new skills within their job role through building a portfolio of completed work tasks .  

Rewards currently have funding available to support employers with employees in the 16 to 24 age range who would benefit from completing an Apprenticeship qualification within the workplace.  We offer a wide range of Apprenticeships including Customer Service, Business Administration and Team Leading.  We will be happy to visit and discuss requirements with employers personally if desired.

We are happy to announce that our Train to Gain (Train to Gain is specifically for individuals aged 25+) success rate for NVQs is currently a very impressive 91.8%, compared to the national average of 72.4%.  This product is available commercially from Rewards at any time of the year - call us for more details! 

Service available from our Brighton, Crawley, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Haywards Heath offices - call us for more details!

Rewards top man in Scotland gets top training role!

Returning to work? Need help?

Rewards forms partnership with A4e to assist people (on benefits) who wish to return to work.  If you require some support with job search such as help with c v writing, covering letters, interview techniques and assistance in finding work, then make an appointment to meet up with us.  See our contacts page on the web for details on how to get in touch.  We look forward to seeing you……. go on…. Pick up the phone!