NEW APPRENTICE GRANT ANNOUNCED

20 January 2010

The grant is specifically targeting those employers who aren't in a position to recruit an apprentice at this point in time or those who can offer more places than usual.

A spokesperson for NAS said: "We particularly want to support small and medium sized employers who are interested in employing an apprentice for the first time, or who want to employ an additional apprentice over their traditional level of recruitment."

Larger organisations who can demonstrate a level of overtraining to support smaller employers providing apprenticeships in their sector may also be eligible for the grant. Employers will receive the grant in two payments - £1,500 when the young person starts their apprenticeship and a further £1,000 after 12 weeks.

All 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in employment or already on an apprenticeship programme are eligible. This includes those who may have had a place in college or school but have subsequently dropped out.

The spokesperson added: "We recognise the particular issues faced by young people in the current economic climate and we want to support them and ensure that we are training a new generation for economic recovery."