Funding for traineeships

An extra £20million is being made available to the government’s new Traineeships programme to support even more young people into Apprenticeships and other jobs.

Traineeships, which began in August, aim to provide 16 to 23-year-olds with the skills, experience and confidence to compete in the labour market, helping them secure apprenticeships or other jobs.

More than 500 providers have pledged to take on trainees this year and so far 150 companies, both large and small, have expressed an interest in offering placements to young people, including BAE Systems, Siemens and Virgin Media.

Traineeships are part of the government’s wider aim to ensure the future workforce possess the skills employers want in their employees. Lasting a maximum of six months they provide:

• Work preparation training such as interview preparation and CV writing;
• Support to improve English and maths skills;
• A high-quality work experience placement of six weeks to five months; and
• Training from providers who are rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/news/new-funding-for-traineeship-scheme-announced. To download the Traineeships framework for delivery visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-young-people-to-develop-the-skills-for-apprenticeships-and-sustainable-employment-framework-for-delivery.