Traineeships for Employers - What are they? and what's in it for me?
Overview
A fully funded Government backed program designed to help you grow your business by offering young people real work experience and the opportunity of a career.
Traineeships help 16 to 24 year olds – or 25 year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan – get ready for an apprenticeship or job if they don’t have the appropriate skills or experience.
What’s in it for me?
A traineeship for employers:
- Get £1,000 for each traineeship you can provide (Max 10)
- Get up to 10 extra people in your team without any extra wage bill*
- An opportunity for you to directly support our region’s bounce back
- Help develop the next generation of our region’s entrepreneurs
What’s my commitment?
When offering a traineeship for employers work placement you need to provide:
- A real career opportunity for up to 10 young people
- safe, meaningful and high-quality work experience
- In conjunction with the training provider provide individual(s) from your business to provide coaching, mentoring and support
- constructive feedback and advice to the trainee
- an interview for an apprenticeship or job in your business at the end of the traineeship if one is available
- an exit interview at the end of the traineeship with meaningful written feedback if no job is available
Although traineeships for employers are funded to your business, to get the most from them you may want to support trainees with expenses, such as transport and meals.
Designing the programme
Traineeships for employers are flexible. You can adjust the programme as you go to make sure you and the trainee get the most out of it.
Before proceeding there are two questions that you need to think about.
They are:
- Have you identified suitable individual(s) for the traineeship(s)
- Do you have a job description for the traineeship?
If not, then you will need to create one, please click here for our template, which may help you.
Let’s assume that you answered Yes, to both of the above. Then the process would start where we would contact approved local trainingship providers and set up a virtual meeting at a time that suits you.
Get started
We specialise in providing access to Government programs to help you grow your business and the region bounce back.
Digital Future First is a part funded EU project; it’s partners (Supplaynt, DBFB and The Learning & Skills Academy) have access to many projects across the SEMLEP region and are here to support you and your business.
Follow the link below to access the listed Government forms.
Employer incentive registration form
Only complete this form once your training provider has supplied you with the information you need.
Incentive payment employer agreement
This form should be reviewed before completing your employer incentive registration form. When you complete the registration form you will be asked to agree to the terms and conditions.
Employer incentive payment
This form must only be completed once you have filled out the employer registration form and have submitted your trainee details. You can just submit your vendor number.
Click here for more details
Find out more about Government Support
Although, we have access to a range of Government programs and incentives, you may want to look at the Government website.
See guidance and resources on good work experience including:
- work experience placements that work guide from CIPD
- employer case studies from Skills Training UK
- why they work videos from the Learning and Work Institute
- work experience quality standard accreditation from Fair Train
Get support to deliver work experience for people with learning difficulties or disabilities from:
Quick Fact Checker
- 1What's the Scheme?
A fully funded Government backed program designed to help you grow your business by offering young people real work experience and the opportunity of a career.
- 2What's in it for me as Business Owner?
- Get £1,000 for each traineeship you can provide (Max 10)
- Get up to 10 extra people in your team without any extra wage bill*
- An opportunity for you to directly support our region's bounce back.
- Help develop the next generation of our region's entrepreneurs
- 3How do I apply?
Contact us to check if you are eligible click here.
- Small Medium Enterprise based in the SEMLEP region (South East Midlands Local Enterprise partnership
- Less than 250 full time equivalent employees.
- Turnover of less than 43M EUR
- Micro businesses with less than 10 employees and either a turnover of up to 2M EUR
- 4What's my commitment?
When offering a traineeship for employers work placement you need to provide:
- safe, meaningful and high-quality work experience
- a minimum of 70 hours of work experience - but no more than 240 hours for benefit claimants - over the duration of the traineeship (maximum of one year) and as agreed with the traineeship provider
- constructive feedback and advice to the trainee
- an interview for an apprenticeship or job in your business at the end of the traineeship if one is available
- an exit interview at the end of the traineeship with meaningful written feedback if no job is available
The traineeship is free to your business, but you may support trainees with expenses such as transport and meals.
- 5Find out more
Please click the button below to check your eligibility.
Book your meeting with me to find out more on Traineeships for Employers

The South East Midlands is a region of strategic importance, linking the key economic hubs of Oxford, Cambridge and London to Birmingham.
The area consists primarily of local authorities:
- Bedford Borough
- Central Bedfordshire
- Luton
- Milton Keynes
- Northamptonshire
In April 2020 Aylesbury Vale District Council was separated from the SEMLEP region.
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