Covid Support Packages

These are designed to help young people who want to get an apprenticeship or job but don’t yet have appropriate skills or experience.

Study-based programmes, combined with work placements, which give young people the opportunity to develop workplace skills and experience, putting them in a better position to compete for future vacancies and opportunities.

Currently an incentive per placement of £1000 (limit of 10 incentive payments per employer) is available.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused some organisations to make redundancies, leaving experienced, work-ready apprentices without an employer. The Redundancy Support Service for Apprentices, offers advice and help in finding new opportunities.

This offers high quality six-month work placements in ‘new’ jobs, aimed at those aged 16 to 24 who are currently out of work and are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment

100% of wages are subsidised at National Minimum Wage for up to 25 hours, including National Insurance contributions and auto enrolment cost. £1500 of funding is available for on-the-job start-up costs for example uniform, hard hat, IT equipment and other practical materials and training.

It is well documented that young people are some of the hardest hit by Covid-19. The Combined Authority has been awarded £244,936 to offer enhanced high value courses for 18 and 19 year olds who have left school but are not going in to Higher Education or are unable to secure a job, due to the impacts of the pandemic.

This funding will offer them the opportunity to remain in education for a further year whilst they complete a course up to level 3 that will support them in entering the labour market upon completion.

The Combined Authority has been awarded a further £241,361 of funding for Sector Based Work Academies. This programme is designed to help meet local employers’ immediate and future recruitment needs as well as to recruit a workforce with the right skills to sustain and grow their business.

A sector-based work academy can last up to 6 weeks and has 3 main components:

• Pre-employment training – relevant to the needs of the business and sector
• Work experience placement – of great benefit to both the individual and a business
• Guaranteed job interview

Participants are referred to the scheme by JCP with the aim of upskilling and going on to sustainable employment.