Ideal partnership for apprenticeships

apprenticeship competition

26/02/21

In Apprenticeships

Things are really tough for apprentices right now, with Covid-19 creating the perfect storm for redundancies and career uncertainty. Luckily help is at hand via a new scheme dedicated to providing great opportunities for young aspiring plumbers within their local communities.

CIPHE Industrial Associate supporter Ideal Standard has joined in partnership with the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), CIPHE and FIESTA Learning to gift a proportion of their Apprenticeship Levy fund to small plumbing businesses across the UK. Ideal Standard’s Apprenticeship Levy fund provides financial support that can be used to pay for apprenticeship training, or upskilling of existing employees (e.g. a plumbers mate) via an accredited Plumbing Apprenticeship, ensuring that it’s fund remains for the benefit of the industry rather than being diverted into other sectors.

This approach gives SME’s the support to provide the educational requirements of the scheme and create roles that they may have otherwise not been able to consider. The scheme is kicking off with Ideal Standard providing three aspiring tradespeople with fully funded qualifications. The training will be carried out by some of the top learning providers in the UK, carefully selected from the CIPHE Approved Training Centre network.

It is hoped that more CIPHE Industrial Associate supporters will join the scheme in a bid to support SMEs across the UK.

Benefits to employers

  • An opportunity to expand your business and create a pipeline of future talent.
  • Financial support for training costs.
  • The opportunity to adapt their training to your business needs.
  • Full administrative and management support of the apprentice.
  • 76% of employers report that apprenticeships have helped improve the quality of their service.

Benefits to apprentices

  • A career and trade.
  • An accredited Apprenticeship Qualification from a leading training provider.
  • A wage as they learn.
  • No student debt.
  • Paid and protected study time.
  • A support network and the opportunity of peer-to-peer learning.

What to do next?

CIPHE members interested in taking on an apprentice are being invited to find out more about the scheme and register their interest before applications open on 15 March. You can:

Tim Sainty, CIPHE Membership Director said, “CIPHE members are some of the best engineers in the industry, with a wealth of knowledge and skills to pass on to the next generation of tradespeople. The Ideal Standard donation of a proportion of its levy means the plumbing industry will benefit from this investment. This will be backed up with targeted training and support from the CIPHE, BMA, Fiesta Learning and a major industry manufacturer in Ideal Standard for any business providing an opportunity and for any Apprentice taken on. This is an opportunity for your business which I urge you not to miss.”