Support Retention and Upskilling

Apprentices are not just for those aged 16-18, you can use apprenticeship funding to retrain and upskill your existing workforce. For example, an experienced employee may be keen to get a formal qualification in their specialist area. Or perhaps someone has the aptitude and drive to learn something new and progress into a different role?

There are apprenticeships from level 2 to level 7 (equivalent to a degree), so you’ll be able to find apprenticeships that suit the learning and development needs of your employees. Apprenticeships are designed by employers, so they reflect the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours that your business needs.

The LEAP project will deliver a targeted mix of support, training and development for apprentices and their workplace mentors employed in the Lancashire SME workforce.

• Offers bridging activity, and pre-recruitment packages for apprentices
• Offers CPD for apprentice workplace mentors

End date March 2023

Supports coordination of the giving and receiving of levy funding between Lancashire employers.

• Large employers with a pay bill of more than £3 million will pay 0.5% of their annual pay bill into their Apprenticeship Levy pot each month.
• The Levy can only be spent on apprenticeship training and assessment.
• If Levy paying employers don’t spend that money within 2 years their funds will expire and go to the central government
• The Levy paying business can choose to transfer up to 25% of their unspent levy, to any business they choose
• All businesses will need an ‘apprenticeship service account’ to receive a transfer of levy funds
• Transfers can only be used for a new apprentice start. This means you cannot receive transfer funds for an employee who has already started their apprenticeship (unless the apprentice changes employer)

End date March 2023

Skills Support for the Workforce offers fully funded support to help you develop your staff through a range of training programmes that are tailored to your business needs. This can include accredited and non-accredited training and covers a wide range of sectors including Engineering & Manufacture, Hospitality, Logistics, Management, Health & Social Care, Construction, and Creative & Digital.

End date March 2023

The Leading Lancashire project delivers leadership and management training for the Lancashire workforce, enabling people to develop their skills through training, coaching and support.

What does the Leading Lancashire project offer? 

• Skills and confidence development programmes to increase your capacity to take up leadership and management opportunities – including coaching, mentoring and support
• Bespoke leadership and management programmes for employees, co-designed with Lancashire businesses to include succession planning
• Access to leadership and management qualifications/units from Level 3 to Level 7
• Leadership and management bridging programmes to prepare employees for higher-level apprenticeships and qualifications

End date March 2023

The purpose of the project is to bring together ‘support, training and future proofing’ for the workforce of small and medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees) across private and social enterprise sectors throughout Lancashire, who contribute towards improving people’s health.

Any business, organisation or activity that helps to improve the health and well-being of the community and the individuals therein could be eligible for free training provided by the upskilling project.

End date March 2023

The UpSkilling Lancashire project offers free advice and support to SMEs to increase the skills and capabilities of their workforce.

The team will support employers in identifying training needs and skills gaps to achieve future growth and strategic objectives within the business. For example, this includes innovative projects linked to capacity building, work placements, degree apprenticeships and identifying appropriate training and skills support.

End date September 2022

This project offers partially funded support to boost skills in businesses. Building Successful Futures will help businesses to upskill the workforce through a wide range of different programmes.

Building Successful Futures in Lancashire will work with businesses to assess their skills gaps and then develop bespoke learning plans which meet the needs of the business. We offer a blended Learning approach to delivery, meaning the support needed can be delivered at the Local Business office, or remotely via an online platform.

There is a wide range of accredited and non-accredited programmes to choose from in sectors such as Customer Service, Adult Social Care, Team Leading, Business Administration, and Cleaning.

End date March 2023