As part of Greencore’s commitment to Inclusion & Diversity we have pledged to support the creation of opportunities for underrepresented groups through levy share initiatives. This, along with our work in the community is one small way that we can help create opportunities for people to learn, grow and fulfil their potential.
Greencore is delighted to be working with BITC and Co-op in supporting apprenticeships amongst a range of organisations including London Ambulance Service, Autism Initiatives, Godfrey Barnes Nursing Homes and St Quentin’s Care Home. The money will fund apprenticeships for 46 care workers and practitioners.
In 2017, the UK government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy. This is a mechanism whereby all employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3m are required to pay 0.5% of their total annual pay bill to fund apprenticeship training.
Levy transfer allows employers to transfer up to 25% of their annual funds to support the training costs of apprentices in organisations that may not be able to afford to pay for the training and assessment costs of apprenticeships.
The Co-op Levy Share Initiative has created a pot of funding of otherwise expired levy contributions from donating employers, including Greencore, to provide apprenticeship opportunities in underrepresented areas, in particular, targeting different ethnicities and socio-economic areas.
Commenting on the apprenticeship support received by Greencore, a spokesperson for Autism Initiatives said; “Autism Initiatives were thrilled to recently receive a Levy donation of £51,000 from Greencore through the CO-OP levy share portal. This generous donation has enabled us to upskill 16 of our Adult and Children residential services support staff onto relevant apprenticeship standard qualifications.”
Matthew Watson, Inclusion Manager commented; “We are delighted to be supporting the Co-op levy share scheme, having pledged £250,000 in order to create apprenticeship opportunities in our communities. Working with a range of organisation in our local areas is very rewarding, and we hope that together we can keep creating opportunities for people to learn and grow.”
For more information on Co-op Levy Share visit cooplevyshare.co.uk
