Report – Training and Skills

Posted on: Friday 17 November 2017 2:35pm by Kath Shackleton

Training and Development Consultant Belinda Peach, introduced the fantastic new array of opportunities for apprenticeships.  The government have set ambitious targets of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020. There are ever generous incentives and subsidies on offer to help employers take on apprentices of all kinds.

Apprenticeships provide an exciting opportunity, to develop new young staff tailored exactly to the needs of your company.  Apprenticeships are also great for those keen to advance the Diversity agenda, by enabling a different kind of young person to bring their voice to the Creative Industries.

You can hire apprentices in all areas of your business including PR, admin and marketing. However, there are exciting new animation specific apprenticeship standards currently being developed, there are two new levels of apprenticeship for storyboard artists and animators plus more general TV production apprenticeships which may be helpful to us.
The standards are being developed right now – please have your say to make sure that these suit the needs of your company and the sector as a whole. Please input your views to Animation UK‘s Skills Survey. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/anuk

Alex Martin from Creative Skillset updated us on the Skills Levy, which encourages employers to invest in apprenticeship skills. Any employer with a wage bill of £3 million or over has to pay a compulsory 0.5% levy. Large employers get to directly spend their contributions and SMEs can benefit sometimes with 100% of costs being reclaimable. There are extra incentives for employers taking 16 – 18 year-olds and bonuses for every apprentice that completes.

More information on what Creative Skillset offers here: http://creativeskillset.org/apprenticeships

Adrian Healey from the Manchester Growth Company explained how employers pay only a 10% contribution for over 19s. Degree apprenticeships are becoming a viable alternative to going to University. These can help young people to get a degree without getting into debt and provide excellent value for employers.

There is a list of currently available apprenticeships on the Government website https://www.gov.uk/education/types-of-apprenticeships

You will need to access apprenticeships through training providers, who offer support with recruitment and teach the theory that apprentices need. Each training provider is very different so take your time to research which will suit you the best.

There is a list of training providers here https://findapprenticeshiptraining.sfa.bis.gov.uk/
As an employer, you need to pay a basic wage and access to equipment and software.

The latest pay and conditions are here https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide/pay-and-conditions.

Rose Marley from Sharp Futures emphasised the need to be sometimes just a little bit creative in adapting the apprenticeship standards to make them work for you, to tailor to your business culture. However there are real benefits when you commit to work-based learning, your apprentice can really grow with your company.

Mikael Hellberg, introduced Access to Music, a leading specialist training provider – across music, media and games. They find young talent and give them the opportunity to work in the creative sector.

In Greater Manchester, the Apprenticeship Growth Service offers extensive support with apprenticeships.  To find out what support is available in your area, contact your Local Enterprise Partnership. https://www.lepnetwork.net/find-your-nearest-lep/

Lewis Marsh, an energetic apprentice from SharpFutures spoke with great enthusiasm about just how worthwhile an experience his apprenticeship has been and how much he and his company had gained by working and learning together.

His excellent animation of the moving Tony Walsh “This is the Place” poem, in response to the Manchester bombings, rounded off the day.