On the evening of 18 February 2021, Apprenticeships at Salford City College were awarded the Gold award for ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ at the 2021 Learning Awards. The Learning Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI). It recognises innovation and achievement in workplace learning. The ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ Award is presented to an enterprise that provides learning services to external clients. Winners are chosen through demonstrating consistent high-quality and innovation, strong client value propositions and evidence of business impact. The event, which was this year held virtually, took place on Thursday 18 February and was hosted by television presenter Claudia Winkleman.
With entries from across the country, the competition was tight, however Apprenticeships at Salford City College wowed the judging panel and received the ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ Gold Award. The Gold Award is the highest level awarded at the ceremony, having unanimous votes from all the judges. When awarding the team with the highly-commended award, the judges said: “Apprenticeships at Salford City College’s inspiring goal to reduce unemployment and create inclusive and accessible learning opportunities can only be celebrated by the well-deserved Gold Award for ‘Learning Provider of the Year’.”
The judges were impressed by their innovative approach to transforming their face-to-face workshops to the digital space, enabling apprentices to carry out and evidence their learning. The judges added: “The passion and care for students was profound with testimonials from the College’s employees, students and employers. Clear evidence of transforming learners’ lives and impressive pass rates leading to successful careers made Apprenticeships at Salford City College a standout winner.”
Commenting on the achievement, Allan Milne, Head of Apprenticeships at Salford City College, said: “I am incredibly proud of the achievement. It is testament to the hard work, passion and dedication displayed by my apprenticeship colleagues every day. They are exceptionally talented people who want to make a very positive difference to the lives of our apprentices and learners.”
Access Government Grants and an Award-Winning Apprenticeship Service
The Government has once again chosen to extend the incentives for employers who employ a new apprentice, meaning that employers of all shapes and sizes can access business support to cover the cost of employing apprentices. Now available until 30 September 2021, employers who employ a new apprentice from 1 April can receive £3,000, regardless of the apprentice’s age. This is on top of the existing £1,000 payment already available for new apprentices aged 16 – 18 and those under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan, meaning that some employers could receive £4,000 in total. Payments are made direct from the Government, via the new digital apprenticeship service.
Prior to Rishi Sunak’s budget announcement where the extension was revealed, Allan Milne, took to morning television show BBC Breakfast to voice his thoughts on the extension of the employer incentives. Allan said: “For a lot of small businesses who have struggled significantly throughout the Covid crisis, this opportunity of additional financial incentive to support new people into their business can only help them move forward.”
To find out more how you could work with an award-winning apprenticeship provider and access funding for your business, contact Apprenticeships at Salford City College today on 0161 631 5555 or email apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk
