A charity which supports people with disabilities and their families and carers has praised the levy transfer scheme which enabled it to take on an apprentice adult care worker.
Genesis Orwell Mencap in Ipswich took on teenager Evie-Jae Laughlin earlier this year after Suffolk County Council transferred its unspent apprenticeship levy through a scheme set up by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
The initiative has now funded 215 apprenticeships worth £1,791,106 and helped more than 80 small employers offer people the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship.
Genesis has been hugely impressed with the progress Evie-Jae has made and the support she has given its customers and said it could not have offered the apprenticeship without the scheme. Care Development East introduced Evie-Jae to Genesis and her training is being provided by West Suffolk College.
Vicky Pollard, training and support administrator at Genesis, commented: “As a charity, having an apprentice has been an excellent way of us being able to train a member of staff to meet the needs of our customers and service. We benefit from the member of staff receiving quality training and guidance from a tutor, while working alongside an experienced team and putting their learning into practice.
“We were delighted to receive levy share as this gave us additional funds to support training and enhance the service we provide, and the support we received from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership in making the application process so straightforward was invaluable.”
Speaking about her apprenticeship, Evie-Jae said: “Working at Genesis is very rewarding and inspiring, and supporting customers and their independence is such a satisfying job to have. As long as my customers are happy and enjoying their day, I feel that I have fulfilled my job role, and it’s been amazing to learn on the job with the guidance and support of the incredible team at Genesis.”
Alison Ward, who runs the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Scheme, said it supported not only SMEs that were able to offer an apprenticeship but also those looking to improve the skills of their staff.
“It’s so satisfying to hear about Evie-Jae’s experience at Genesis and it shows the value of the scheme – not just to the apprentice but to the business,” she said.
“If you are an SME or you have used all your levy and want to employ an apprentice or upskill existing staff, the training costs of the apprenticeship can be covered through our scheme.”
To discuss the scheme and apprenticeships, contact Alison Ward on 07901 207114 or email [email protected]
