A Business must adhere to the following terms and conditions for the Future Apprentices for Business grant funding:
- The business must be trading from a location within Wigan Borough (external link)
- The business must employ less than 250 employees
- Recruit an apprentice who is a Wigan Borough resident aged between 16 and 24 years who has the right to work in England
- Pay at least the National Minimum Wage for age and not Apprenticeship Minimum Wage
- Recruit a new apprentice and not apply for funding for an existing employee or for any recruitment already under way (FAB in-principle approval must be awarded by our panel prior to an apprenticeship agreement being signed and employment commencing).
Once funding has been approved in-principle, businesses will need to:
- Sign up to Wigan Council’s Deal for Business and complete the self assessment, if they have not already done so
- Sign a Contract of Employment at the start of the apprenticeship, which confirms individual employment arrangements between the apprentice and the business (including wage / salary rate/ contract length) and provide a copy to us as evidence.
- Gather consent from the apprentice for the training provider to share their name, address, DOB and apprenticeship programme details
During the apprenticeship, the business must:
- Ensure that the apprentice is taking part in learning throughout the apprenticeship
- Ensure that the apprentice has the appropriate support and supervision on the job to carry out their job role
- Ensure that all off-the-job training requirements are met
- Gather consent to allow the chosen training provider to share information and update us on the progress
- Commit to supporting the apprentice into full-time employment at the end of the apprenticeship (there is an expectation that the job is sustainable). Where this is not possible, the apprentice must be supported by their training provider and the business to seek alternative opportunities
- There must be a genuine job available during the apprenticeship. By genuine we mean that:
- The apprentice must have a contract of service with the business, or be employed by an apprenticeship training agency, which is long enough for them to complete the apprenticeship successfully including the end-point assessment (EPA)
- The cost of the apprentice’s wages must be met by the business
- The apprentice must have a job role (or roles) with the business that provides the opportunity for them to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to successfully complete their apprenticeship.
- Understand that only one application per business is permitted. Please contact the team if you are looking to recruit additional apprentices
- Businesses will need to agree to be supported by the Business Engagement team and regularly liaise with them
- Businesses will agree to checks on rates arrears or council debts and will need to discuss these if any are identified
- Understand that failure to keep up with your business rates payments, as set out on your business rates bill, could result in payments being stopped
- Businesses will receive our monthly Business bulletin with relevant news and information on services for Wigan Borough businesses
- All businesses supported through Future Apprentices for Business (FAB) Programme will commit to support positive PR, should this be requested by Wigan Council
- Any publicity produced by the business must include, as a minimum, the Wigan Council logo as detailed in the legal agreement. In addition, publicity must also acknowledge support through the Deal for Business
- Adhere to de minimis rules set out in Subsidy Control regulations.
In addition
- Payments will be made:
- For enhanced grants (when an employer recruits someone from our talent pool). A total of £5,000 could be paid. £1,000 will be paid on confirmation that your apprentice has commenced employment with your business; £2,000 at the mid-point (date to be agreed once first payment agreed) and the final £2,000 after confirmation that the apprentice has completed the apprenticeship
- For the basic grants (when an employer recruits from the general population). A total of £3,000 could be paid. £1,000 will be paid on confirmation that your apprentice has commenced employment with your business and £2,000 after confirmation that the apprentice has completed the apprenticeship.
- Please note that all grant payments will be subject to evidence being received that confirms that grant criteria is being met. Should this evidence not be forthcoming, grant payments will not be processed and approval will be withdrawn.
- Employers and training providers be expected to advertise all vacancies via Find an apprenticeship (external link), unless the business is recruiting via the talent pool. Failure to advertise the vacancy in this way will result in a breach of the grant eligibility criteria and any in-principle grant approval may be withdrawn
- If signing up for recruiting from our talent pool commit to a meeting regarding our Inclusive Employers Initiative. Only employers deemed suitable will be able to recruit from the talent pool
- You must include this statement in your job advert:
‘If offered this position, we will need your consent to share your name, address, DOB, start date, length and type of apprenticeship with Wigan Council as part of evidence gathering requirements for the FAB (Future Apprentices for Business) grant programme.