Govt must back small business apprenticeships

Date: 24th February 2009

The government must do more to support apprenticeship schemes for small businesses, it has been claimed.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that three-quarters of businesses believe there are benefits to taking on apprentices.

Despite this, a number of firms - such as limited companies and partnerships - called for the government to reduce bureaucracy and make access to funding easier for the schemes.

Learning, training and development advisor at the CIPD, Dr John McGurk, commented: "Apprenticeships are rapidly re-establishing themselves as part of the skills solution, but employers will only continue to engage with these valued training opportunities if they can see the business benefits."

He added that apprenticeships can "deliver real value for employers", but more needed to be done to spread this message.

Earlier today (February 23rd), Prime Minister Gordon Brown revealed at a cabinet meeting in Southampton that 21,000 new apprenticeships were to be created in the next two years.