The Solent Apprenticeship Hub are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their highly successful Transfer to Transform initiative. Transfer to Transform encourages large employers to pledge their unspent apprenticeship levy funds to cover the costs of apprenticeship training for smaller businesses across the Solent region.
Currently, at £1,450,000 in total pledges and with over 100 apprentice starts, the initiative has exceeded all initial expectations. Transfer to Transform is also becoming a permanent solution to the issue of the estimated £400 million of unused levy funding nationally; with many other local authorities choosing to follow suit and putting initiatives of their own in place to support their local employers.
Transfer to Transform’s initial aim was to provide a platform for larger businesses to support SME’s (small employers) across the Solent region during the very first national lockdown, during a time of uncertainty and struggle for all UK employers. However, Transfer to Transform has grown into something much larger than ever expected and has become a streamlined support offering for large, levy-paying employers that want to reduce the wastage of their apprenticeship levy. Many of the initial pledgers to the scheme are now making transfers through the scheme a part of their organisation’s regular apprenticeship and skills strategy.
The scheme has garnered support from large national employers based in the Solent region, including: B&Q, CooperVision, Utilita, the Co-operative and many more, with a number of these employers pledging more than once after seeing just how easy and efficient the process is.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth, Councillor Jeremy Moulton said: “This is not just a positive for the large employers being offered a solution, but also to individuals seeking career and skills progression.
“It allows the funding to be put to its intended use for apprenticeship training, rather than re-directed back to central government after the 24-month time limit. These newly upskilled employees, among the SME’s receiving the transferred funding, will have a huge impact on the ability of the organisations to not only survive the difficulties of the pandemic, but to experience long term growth and prosperity.”
The Solent Apprenticeship Hub are still taking pledges through Transfer to Transform and will be continuing to work with SME’s across the region to secure funding to upskill their workforce. If you would like to get involved or simply learn more about the Transfer to Transform scheme, visit the Solent Apprenticeship Hub website, or contact the team directly by email: hello@solentapprenticeshiphub.com
