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Talk the torque in the Cytech Tech Forum

Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians, has launched a new Facebook group - the Cytech Tech Forum –...

11 Mar 2024, more…

BikeBiz editor gets hands on with Cytech technical one

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

8 Mar 2024, more…

JE James Cycles to open first Barnsley store

ACT member and Cytech-accredited retailer JE James Cycles – one of the largest independent cycle retailers in Europe – is to open a new 7,874 sq ft store shop in Barnsley town...

7 Mar 2024, more…

Activate Cycle Academy welcomes British Cycling to Cytech technical one training course

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024, more…

Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.

29 Feb 2024, more…

ACT tells Parliamentary Committee of the need for urgent systemic change to the Cycle to Work scheme.

With more than 500 cycle businesses having now signed up to its campaign for change to the Cycle to Work scheme, a delegation from the Association of Cycle Traders has met with All Party...

25 Jan 2024, more…

OPSS takes enforcement action over dangerous e-bike battery.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking enforcement action and warning consumers about a brand of e-bike battery – UPP – that has been linked to a number of...

24 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech training to help Go Outdoors boost number of cycle mechanics by offering apprenticeships to store staff.

Go Outdoors, which operates 75 stores across the UK, has announced an apprenticeship scheme involving Cytech training with the aim of addressing what it terms a nationwide shortage of...

15 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech Scotland training provider launches Young Bike Mechanic Programme to empower Glasgow’s youth.

Bike for Good, the Glasgow-based cycling charity and social enterprise, which delivers Cytech training in Scotland, has announced a Young Bike Mechanic Programme designed to create opportunities...

3 Jan 2024, more…

Re-Accreditation of Torq Zone Academy: Meeting QCTO Standards for Excellence

Torq Zone Academy, a leading institution of vocational training in South Africa, has been re-accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), for another five years, to offer...

27 Nov 2023, more…

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82% of SMEs say apprenticeships are the solution to the UK's skills gap

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82% of SMEs say apprenticeships are the solution to the UK's skills gap

Posted on 18 Oct 2017

Apprentices are the solution to addressing the UK's skills gap, say 82 per cent of UK SMEs.

The Close Brothers Business Barometer is a quarterly survey that questions over 900 UK and RoI SME owners and senior management across a range of sectors and regions.

The results of this survey found that one in five small to medium sized businesses have their own apprentice scheme while 58 per cent feel it's not right for their business; the remaining 22 per cent cite lack of affordability as the reason why they don't have one of their own.

SMEs firmly believe that apprenticeships are a viable substitute to university, with 76 per cent of business owners agreeing with the statement ‘apprenticeships are a valuable alternative to university'.

The number of school leavers choosing apprenticeships over university has risen by over 20 per cent since 2010, according to the research. Apprenticeships provide an opportunity for people to learn while they earn and get the experience they need to excel in their chosen career.

Nationally, 49 per cent of business owners answered ‘yes' to the question ‘if assistance was available either from either the government or the private sector, would you participate in an apprenticeship scheme?'.

Take on an apprentice for less

With the recent changes to apprenticeship funding, it can now cost even less to take on an apprentice.

Whether you already have a member of staff in your business who wants to enhance their technical knowledge, or you're looking to take on a new member of staff and give them the skills they need to thrive, an Apprenticeship could be the right solution.

There have been significant changes to the way apprenticeship funding works, including the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and more support for smaller employers.

Larger employers (with an annual wage bill of over £3 million) are now required to pay 0.5% of their wage bill into a levy to be used towards funding apprenticeships.

Smaller employees, (with an annual wage bill under £3 million), do not have to pay a levy. They also benefit from additional funding, paying just 10% of apprenticeship costs, while the Government pays 90%.

This means that putting an employee through the Intermediate Cycle Maintenance apprenticeship now costs just £500 in employer contributions, with a 20% discount for ACT members, making it just £400.

The Advanced Cycle Maintenance apprenticeship now costs just £995,or just £900 for ACT members.

Better still, companies with fewer than 50 employees that take on apprentices aged between 16 and 18 will have 100% of their training costs paid for.

To find out more click here, contact ATG Training on info@atg-training.co.uk or call 01296 737 800.

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