Businesses in Medway are being urged to take advantage of additional funding to allow them to take on apprentices.

The National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) is offering support for SMEs to apply for apprenticeship grants with Medway Council providing a supplementary grant of £3,000 per apprentice.

But the NSAR support scheme ends in September, prompting the Kent and Medway Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to call on firms not to miss the opportunity.

Tracey Westell, area lead for the business organisation, said: “NSAR is offering a great service to SMEs that want to take on new apprentices.

"They are there to help navigate the bureaucracy so businesses can employ and train more young people and take advantage of the financial support on offer. We encourage interested businesses to engage with NSAR before the September deadline."

Tracey Wright, youth engagement leader for NSAR, added: “NSAR is on-hand to provide one-to-one support for the employer, helping them manage the grant fund applications, seeking the right training providers, matching business needs with the relevant apprenticeships available. Through our extensive relationship with DWP and Job Centres, we can also help find local young people interested in becoming apprentices. The support also helps in identifying business upskilling and retraining needs, helping businesses retrain staff and help staff to move into new roles and opportunities within businesses”.

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