THE Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund set up to supercharge apprenticeships in the West Midlands has hit a £5million milestone thanks to contributions from large employers.
And the fund has now created more than 150 new apprenticeships at small to medium-sized businesses across the region.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which set up the fund, says the £5m milestone is just the start – it is hoping to secure up to £40m to rejuvenate apprenticeships across the region.
Local people, like 18-year-old Connor Lines, are already benefiting from the fund. Connor, from Bromsgrove, joined Lansalot Limited in Redditch as an Infrastructure Technician apprentice in August.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We’ve made excellent progress with the apprenticeship levy since our £69m Skills Deal agreement with Government last summer.
“We knew we could make a real difference to people’s lives by reinvesting money in the West Midlands which would otherwise have been lost to central Government in London.
“Thanks to large organisations donating their unspent levy, we’re creating new job opportunities at companies who may otherwise have been unable to afford to hire apprentices.”
