Training and apprenticeships can be a silver bullet that transforms a business by increasing productivity and creating a highly-motivated workforce – and help is at hand for firms across Liverpool City Region

It was the Greek philosopher Socrates who said: “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

More than 2,000 years later his words are as true as ever. We never stop learning and, by keeping our minds open to new ideas, we can fully realise our own potential in our personal and our working lives.

And it is this philosophy that is the key to economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The last 12 months have accelerated the pace of technological and cultural change and it is the companies and organisations that embrace this change who have the most to gain.

Training can be a silver bullet that transforms a business by increasing productivity and creating an adaptable and highly-motivated workforce. Businesses looking to upskill their teams, or bring new people into their organisation, have a valuable resource right on their doorstep – the Liverpool City Region Skills Brokerage Service.

Part of the Growth Platform, the city region’s growth company, the Skills Brokerage Service comprises an expert team of Skills Brokers who will explain how employers can access funding and support them to find the right training provider for the training they need. This is a resource which will save businesses, large and small, both time and money.

One of the best ways of introducing new skills into your business is via Apprenticeships. In the Budget in March, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled an extra £126m for apprenticeships to boost the UK’s post-pandemic recovery.

Measures included a doubling of cash incentives. Any employers who hire a new apprentice between 1st April 2021, and 30th September 2021, will receive £3,000 per new hire, regardless of the apprentice’s age. This is in addition to the £1,000 payment already provided for new apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those under 25 with an education, health and care plan. Some employers could therefore receive up to £4,000.

There are also local grants available in a number of local authority areas across the city region. Skills Brokers can support employers to access incentive payments and local grants.

Traditionally we associate apprenticeships with people leaving school and coming into the workplace for the first time. And while young people do account for a big chunk of those doing apprenticeships, there is actually no upper age limit and apprenticeships can be utilised to train existing members of your team.

Apprenticeships are available across a wide range of sectors, trades and professions and allow people to gain training and qualifications all the way up to Masters degree level. They can offer the perfect solution if your business wants to bring a young person in to train up from scratch, or if you want to offer new training to an existing member of your team.

The Be More Apprenticeship Portal also offers Liverpool City Region-based employers the opportunity to advertise their apprenticeship vacancies, free of charge, and there is no need to register or create an account before doing so.

Joe Keegan from the Skills Brokerage Service, said: “Lifelong learning is a philosophy that benefits us personally and can help to keep our economy growing. Giving members of your team the opportunity to acquire new skills and advance their careers is a win-win. It leads to a greater level of motivation and loyalty and can accelerate productivity.

“We are here, ready and willing to help you transform your business through training and staff development. Apprenticeships are a rewarding and cost-effective way to future-proof your organisation in what is a rapidly evolving economy.”

The Skills Brokerage Service is a one-stop-shop where businesses can find a wealth of advice and support on all funding available for skills across the Liverpool City Region and can even provide up to 70% of training costs for training required by employers which is not funded through any other publicly funded route.

If you are an employer in the City Region looking for skills or apprenticeship advice and/or funding then you can register here. This service is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and Strategic Investment Fund (SIF).