The construction industry needs a constant flow of new skilled workers coming through in order to meet demand and be sustainable. Therefore, the following announcement from the government is very welcome.
In addition to the funding of £1,000 already available for apprentices aged either 16 – 18 or under 25 with an education, health and care plan or who have been in the care of their local authority, employers who hire a new apprentice between 1st August 2020 and 31st January 2021 can apply for the following funding from 1st September as part of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs:
- £2,000 for each new apprentice aged 16 to 24
- £1,500 for each new apprentice aged 25 and over.
Employers must have an apprenticeship service account and payments will be made in two equal instalments from January 2021, with the first 50% paid within 90 days of the apprentice’s start date and the remaining 50% after the apprentice completes 365 days of their apprenticeship. Apprentices that have been made redundant are eligible as long as they are a new employee to the organisation, and they must have at least 356 days of training left to complete in order to claim the second payment.
SAEMA (Specialist Access and Engineering Maintenance Association) is dedicated to ensuring adherence to safe and best practice for the provision of access to buildings and other structures for the purposes of cleaning and maintenance. SAEMA cooperates with other organisations, specialist bodies and institutions involved in the provision and maintenance of façade access systems and equipment.
Statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that falls from height remain the leading cause of fatalities in the workplace in Great Britain. It is vital to do everything possible to ensure apprentices – the industry’s next generation of workers – are fully trained and equipped to avoid falls from height.