North West: Company donate £100k levy to apprenticeships

G4S, which employs over 25,000 people in the UK, has gifted the money from unused apprenticeship levy funds.

It aims to support apprenticeships in the education, childcare, and health and social care sectors.

The funds will now be made available to smaller businesses and organisations in those sectors across the North West, to train their staff through apprenticeships.

Total People is working with large businesses across the country to achieve £500k of levy gifting, after it was revealed that more than £250m of apprenticeship levy funding was returned unused to the Treasury last year.

Tony Summers, G4S Apprenticeship lead in the UK, said: “G4S is fully committed to supporting and assisting the communities in which we operate through a variety of means including providing good employment opportunities, effective services, charitable fund-raising, sponsorship of community projects, voluntary work by employees and donating apprenticeship levy to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“As a large levy paying employer, we have a responsibility to support smaller organisations and help develop those who do not have access to funding.

"This year we have decided to support the education and childcare, and health and social care sectors.

“These sectors play a key role in supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities. “

Apprenticeships can be made available to new and existing employees of all ages, and can be used to bridge skills gaps, increase the workforce or train in new technologies.

Levy paying employers are those with a wage bill of over £3m who must submit 0.5 per cent of their payroll towards the levy.

Levy paying employers can ‘gift’ up to 25 per cent of their apprenticeship levy to other organisations to fund apprenticeships.

For more details on apprenticeship levies and gifting unused levy funding to SMEs, visit www.totalpeople.co.uk/gift-your-levy or call 0333 444 555.