Incentive to take on apprentices

CITY businesses can receive up to £2000 when they take on an apprentice, thanks to a new employer incentive scheme.

The Employer Recruitment Incentive is delivered by Skills Development Scotland and supported by the Scottish Government.

It provides businesses with a cash injection when they employ any 16 to 19-year-old as an apprentice or offer an apprenticeship to anyone aged 20 or over who has been unemployed for a short period.

The Early Days Nursery, Pentland Land Rover and hairdressers Vincent Bell in Edinburgh have already got involved.

Damien Yeates, chief executive of Skills Development Scotland, said: “As well as the recruitment incentive, the cost of an apprentice’s training is subsidised, making it a smart way to grow a skilled workforce.”