Holyrood to pay firms £2,000 to help 'adopt an apprentice'

UNEMPLOYED apprentices are to be helped back into work by the Scottish Government paying firms up to £2,000 to hire them.

Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop was due to announce the £1.7 million ScotAction initiative at the Usher Hall today.

It means hundreds of apprentices who have had their training interrupted will now be able to complete it.

The package has been designed to help Scotland's economy out of recession and put it back on the road to economic growth, the government said.

Ms Hyslop, who was due to meet apprentice Paul Bon who is being taken on by Midlothian construction firm Protective & Decorative Surface Coatings, said: "This government is committed to doing everything that we can to help people in this current economic climate, and ScotAction is the Scottish Government's skills support package for providing financial support to businesses and individuals through the recession.

"Apprentices are vital for Scotland's recovery."

Ms Hyslop said she had learnt first-hand at an apprenticeship summit six weeks ago that financial incentives for employers were a key way of encouraging them to recruit more.

The Scottish Government is to spend £16m this year on funding 7,800 new apprenticeships.

The Adopt an Apprentice initiative, which is being supported by the European Social Fund, will help get 575 apprentices back into work.

Ms Hyslop said: "Unlike other countries, this scheme is open to all ages of apprentice and all sectors and I am delighted that as a result of this initiative there is the potential for all apprentices across Scotland to be given the opportunity to complete their training.

"Over the next few weeks I will be announcing further support through ScotAction to help employers recruit and retain apprentices. The success of the Adopt An Apprentice scheme ultimately rests with employers and I would urge them to take advantage of this exciting new offer."

ScotAction is said to combine new and improved measures to help individuals and businesses through the recession and will provide skills assistance – including wage subsidies in some circumstances – for training.

The Scottish Government said the initiative was aimed at helping Scottish people and businesses survive the downturn and thrive when the economy starts to recover.

In April, 100 Scots were offered places in a new apprenticeship programme carrying out home energy projects.

The Scottish Government pilot scheme is being run in partnership with Scottish & Southern Energy.