ENGINEERING bosses are proposing that there should be a cash incentive for achieving Investors in People status.

The Engineering Employers' Federation suggests in a Budget submission to the Chancellor of the Exchequer that IIP companies should receive a one-off £100 cashback per employee on their employers' national insurance contributions.

They say a typical medium-sized engineering firm employing 250 people would benefit by £25,000, which would go a long way to offsetting the costs of obtaining the Investors in People accreditation.

The EEF also proposes that companies should be able to offset against tax the cost of generic skills and knowledge-based training programmes for their employees.

Graham Mackenzie, the EEF Director General, said: "Lifelong learning is at the heart of our budget submission because investment in training is the primary way the UK engineering industry can maintain its competitiveness and keep pace with technology.

"Government and the business community must work together to create a culture of lifelong learning in the UK.

"IIP is critical to achieving that, and the kind of imaginative scheme we propose will give employers a meaningful incentive to invest in their employees."

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