BT Group will provide access to £4m in apprenticeship funding over a four-year period to boost local skills and support small businesses.
Companies with an annual wage bill over £3m must pay an apprenticeship levy, using funds to recruit and train apprentices. They can also transfer up to 50% of their levy to support other companies.
BT Group has partnered with apprenticeship training provider Babington to launch an Apprenticeship Fund, transferring up to £4m from its levy funds to help SMEs, charities and the public sector to train new apprentices and upskill their workforce.
Babington will match businesses with appropriate training providers and guide them through the application process.
The Fund is open to SMEs, charities and public sector organisations across England, including the NHS, focusing on apprentices aged 22 and older. it can scale up depending on take up and could support up to 550 apprentices.
Chris Sims, MD for Small and Medium Business at BT, said: "We’re giving businesses the financial support they need to invest in talent.
“This not only helps create a more skilled, diverse, and competitive workforce, it also provides SMEs with additional resources to grow and scale their business.”