Norwich City helps apprenticeships scheme exceed £5m goal

It's not just young footballers that Norwich City is helping to nurture: the club is using unspent levy to support apprenticeships in a variety of fields. 

Apprenticeships Norfolk's Levy Support Scheme uses unspent levy to help businesses fund apprenticeships and has now seen over £5m transferred thanks to pledges from a range of local and national organisations. 

Norwich City, Norse Group and Synergy Multi-Academy Trust are the three latest Norfolk supporters of the initiative that funds apprenticeship starts that employers may not otherwise be able to afford.  

By receiving a levy transfer, the local business can save up to £1,350 of training fees per learner. Since April 2023, more than 500 apprenticeship starts have resulted at more than 220 local businesses and organisations.  

Levy transfers have supported new apprenticeship starts across areas including health and social care, engineering and manufacturing, business and administration, as well as a range of local charities and VCSE organisations. 

Bosses at Carrow Road recently pledged to donate £60,000 and this will directly support apprentices starts across a range of sectors. 

Lauren Blyth, Head of CSR at Norwich City, said: "As a club, we are proud to financially support the Levy Support Scheme, recognising our responsibility to contribute positively to the communities that support us. 

"As a football club, we believe that it is part of our responsibility to support local businesses and organisations, as well as those individuals seeking to make their first steps in their career through an apprentice programme." 

Cllr Fabian Eagle, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at Norfolk County Council said: "It is an incredible achievement to have funded more than 500 apprenticeship starts through a scheme that is a win for both the employers and those they have taken on.  

"Many organisations want to offer these opportunities but need financial support to do so, especially in the current financial climate, and the Levy Support Scheme fulfils that vital role." 

The scheme is a bespoke matching service, facilitated by Apprenticeships Norfolk, strategically connecting organisations to realise levy transfers. Apprenticeships Norfolk now works in partnership with 38 businesses who are sharing their levy funds in the county. 

For more information, visit the Levy Support Scheme details on the Apprenticeships Norfolk website. You can also read some case studies from some of the organisations that have benefited from the scheme.