Apprentice scheme

[Scholsey]

Have a keen 17 year old lad who had a few issues through school and let down in his first year at college and stuck pressure washing and strimming on a farm for several months with very little pay, starting pretty much from scratch with him (other than strimming and pressure washing as he is a dab hand at that), has anyone had any luck signing up to the apprenticeship scheme for the grant?

 

[chaffcutter]

We are thinking of taking on an apprentice under the Scheme so would be interested in anyone’s experience with it?

 

[Scholsey]

Looks like if you employ a apprentice for 39 hours a week @ atleast minimum wage you claim back £1500 after 13 weeks of employment.

 

[Pan mixer]

You need to talk to your local College who will be doing the classroom part of the scheme - at least that is how it worked up to 4 years ago when my last apprentice left and I took on a replacement full-time.

 

[Bramble]

They need to be on an approved college course to get the grant.

The minimum wage for an apprentice is very low, something like £3/hr, but you can pay more if you like (we did). The college need to come out and look at the farm, go through some paperwork etc (H&S, what they expect him to do etc).1-2 days a week at college for him, plus the college then come out to see you every few months to check on his progress

The chap we had did 18 months apprenticeship, we then gave him a full time position for a couple years before he went off to NZ.

Unless he is keen to go to college I’d just employ him as it is less hassle and then put him though various courses depending on what interested him (tractor driving test/telehandler/ PA1/2, quad bike, chainsaw, livestock courses, AI). If he was doing a college course the college would pay for these (our bloke got the tractor and telehandler tickets)

 

[Longneck]

Is the grant still going? I was told it ended last year, but that might just be my local lot.