The Chief Executive of the National Skills Academy for Financial Services is urging financial services employers to come forward and stake their claim for new apprenticeship funding announced by the Government.
In the Comprehensive Spending Review, The Chancellor promised to double the number of apprenticeships for the over-19s to boost skills and help generate economic growth. An additional £250m will be invested creating 75,000 more apprenticeships for adults in the workplace a year by 2014/2015.
Sylvia Perrins, CEO, of the National Skills Academy for Financial Services, said that funding was dependent on companies coming forward to commit to apprenticeship training. Sylvia says: “It’s very pleasing to see the Government recognising the important benefits of apprenticeships for adults who are already in the workplace. However, the industry is at risk of missing out unless it is vocal about staking its claim on this funded training route. As a demand-led funding system, companies need to come forward if they are to have a hope of benefiting from this boost.
“Apprenticeships are a great solution for our industry’s needs. Undertaking an apprenticeship is an ideal solution for people to get their professional qualifications within a structured training programme that can be tailored to their company’s culture and business objectives. We want the industry to respond by using apprenticeships as a way to retrain and retain our people.”
Apprenticeship schemes enable an employee to gain a professional qualification and provides evidence of their competence to perform their job role. For many organizations this can map to their own training and competence schemes.
The NSAFS through its network of specialist training providers is able to create a solution for each employer’s needs. Companies interested in apprenticeships for their staff are advised to get in touch with Stephen Smith at NSAFS.
