Apprenticeships in Salisbury

Small Business Fully Managed Apprenticeships

We're planning to sponsor some tailor made apprenticeships designed to help Salisbury businesses take on an apprentice for the first time and give local young people a supported pathway into meaningful careers in Salisbury.

If that sounds interesting - scroll down for more information and details of how to get in touch.

Hire an apprentice through an agency!

Not enough businesses are taking on apprentices - and we understand why

We know that many small businesses in Salisbury like the idea of taking on an apprentice. They understand that it's a good way of growing the business or replacing an ageing workforce.

But the apprenticeship system is hard to navigate if your business is small with limited HR resources, and some employers don't want to take the risk of employing a school or college leaver with no work experience.

But it's possible to hire an apprentice through a specialist agency. This eliminates most of the admin and all of the employer's risk.

We aim to provide a short (8 month), apprenticeship run through an agency that recruits and employs the apprentice and hires them out to businesses. You will still be involved in specifying your requirements, choosing the apprentice, and organising their placement but you won't have to spend your time finding the Training Provider, running the recruitment process or sorting out the Apprenticeship Contract.

The agency will employ the apprentice undertaking all the employer's responsibilities including any disciplinary problems. They will mentor the apprentice for the first few weeks of employment to ensure that they settle in well, and at the end of the placement you can take over their employment or the agency will support them to find another role.

You get the benefit of introducing a new young apprentice into your company and you still have the time to carry on running the business!

Who will employ the Apprentice?

The agency we use is Supplytrain CIC a registered Flexi Apprenticeship Agency that will organise the training and recruit and employ the young people taking part. They were one of the first organisations to be allowed by the Government to employ apprentices on behalf of other businesses and have been doing this successfully since 2022 when the scheme was first introduced. They already employ some apprentices in Salisbury.

When we have the details of organisations interested in taking part, Supplytrain will run a webinar to outline the Salisbury scheme and answer any questions that you have.

Supplytrain's Managed Apprenticed Service

What will it cost?

The business must pay all the apprentice's payroll costs. They will be paid the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices. This is currently £8.00 an hour. They must work at least 30 hours a week and for at least 8 months. Apprentices will be eligible for statutory sick pay and all other standard benefits.

Based on the minimum contract, businesses should budget for about £9,000 and must be confident that their finances and cash flow position are robust enough to make this commitment.

'Apprenticeships in Salisbury' will subsidise the agency costs for running the scheme. This means that with the existing Government incentives in place, businesses should be able to access this scheme with no additional costs.

VAT must be paid on the cost of the wages. This makes the scheme unsuitable for any micro businesses not registered for VAT.

Remember - it's not just about good business sense.

By taking on an apprentice you are giving a young person an opportunity to develop.

Salisbury doesn’t have a university or any heavy industry, our two largest employers (NHS and Porton Down) both have recruitment restrictions in place.

Many of our young people go straight from school onto benefits because of a lack of opportunities, others leave the city to build a future elsewhere. By offering an apprenticeship, you will providing a route for a young person into meaningful employment here in Salisbury.

What Next?

We need to hear from you!

Even if you aren't considering taking on an apprentice, we need to know why.

If you are thinking of taking on an apprentice, then we'd like to have a few details about your business. Please click on the link below and complete the short form.

Although we're aiming the scheme at businesses that have never taken on an apprentice before - we also welcome interest from anyone who already employs apprentices or has in the past.

If you're a young person about to leave school or college and are looking for a local apprenticeship - keep watching this space - we will be making announcements here as soon as we have more details.

Complete the form