Walsall College uses plant pots to remind businesses to use their Levy Pot

Walsall College’s sales team delivered plant pots to businesses across Walsall, as part of a campaign to raise awareness of how their Apprenticeship ‘Levy Pot’ can help nurture new and existing talent.

The campaign began at the start of National Apprenticeship Week on 5th March – an annual event designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the local economy.

Over 50 plant pots were personally delivered to organisations across the Walsall borough. The College’s Sales team also offered advice on how they can use the levy pots to train new and existing staff.

Walsall College has helped dozens of local businesses understand how they can access their Apprenticeship levy funds, through workshops and bespoke one-to-one sessions. Employers are now using their understanding to recruit apprentices and to upskill their existing workforce.

Since initiating the scheme, Walsall College has supported HomeServe by recruiting over 60 apprentices, all of whom are mentored by a network of engineers within the company.

Walsall College are currently supporting HomeServe to recruit 16 new Customer Service staff for the organisation’s Claims Contact Centre.

Walsall Council is also using the levy to upskill its workforce. In July 2017, the local authority re-launched its Apprenticeship programme to ensure staff have access to training to develop skills for their current role.

The Council has 70 people now accessing Apprenticeship Training throughout the organisation, 20 of whom are with Walsall College. These include Business Management, Finance, Building Control, Print and Design, Team Leading, working with Children & Young People, and Supporting Teaching & Learning across Walsall school and nurseries.

James Norris, Assistant Principal for Commercial Development at Walsall College, said: “We are proud of what we have achieved so far with our employers and apprentices. Since offering advice to business on making the best of their Apprenticeship Levy funds, we have seen a significant increase in the number of employers taking on apprentices, without compromising on quality. In turn, more young people are entering the workforce, whilst employer satisfaction increases.

Apprenticeships are vital in today’s job market. They provide young people with the opportunity to gain valuable skills and real work experience that will lead to greater employment prospects in the future.

“They are also a fantastic way for businesses to develop new talent and pass their knowledge on to the next generation of workers. It’s for this reason that we offer such a large range of Apprenticeships at Walsall College and work closely with our employer partners.”

If you are an employer interested in taking on apprentices within your business or a student looking for an apprenticeship, contact our experienced Apprenticeship Team in The Job Shop on 01922 651129 or email jobshop@walsallcollege.ac.uk