Aspex Gallery – Levy Transfer Case Study
At the Solent Apprenticeship Hub, we love a good news story – That’s why we recently caught up with Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth and their apprentice, Ollie. Aspex were the recipients of a levy transfer from Portsmouth City Council who opened up applications for levy transfer funding back in June 2019.
As an SME, it was harder for Aspex Gallery to secure the necessary funding for apprenticeship training for their staff, however with Portsmouth City Council’s levy transfer, they were able to train up a current member of staff with a Digital Marketing Level 3 apprenticeship. Ollie was already a member of staff at Aspex Gallery, but with a rising need to promote your brand in today’s digital world, it made perfect sense for Aspex to have a fully qualified digital marketer on board with the know-how to increase the awareness of this fantastic organisation online. To find out more about Ollie’s experience as a Digital Marketing apprentice at Aspex gallery, watch the video below.
Speaking to the Marketing and Business Development Manager of Aspex Gallery, Anne, we found out how easy the Levy Transfer process was on their end, how the Solent Apprenticeship Hub was involved and what a benefit the addition of apprenticeship training has been to this Portsmouth based business:
The levy transfer is of enormous benefit to organisations such as ourselves – as a small registered charity the opportunity to benefit from the levy and cover the cost of the training and development of a member of the team is something we are extremely grateful for. Not only does it support the potential of the individual team member but also provides such benefit to the organisation as our skills set is broadened.
Kate Brady from Portsmouth City Council had this to say about the Levy Transfer process and the help the Solent Apprenticeship Hub were able to provide:
Since the introduction of the levy, Portsmouth City Council have been growing and developing our existing workforce and recruiting fantastic apprentices that contribute to the skilled workforce we need to succeed and thrive. As a large levy paying employer the council now has the ability to transfer up to 25% of our apprenticeship levy funds to other employers helping to boost the number of high-quality apprenticeships within the city.
Working in partnership with the Solent Apprenticeship Hub we identified a number of businesses we wanted to support through an application process and our own defined eligibility criteria. The Hub communicated with each employer to determine the apprenticeship and training provider appropriate for their needs. Once agreed the hub worked closely with the employer to set them up with a digital apprenticeship account to enable the funds to be transferred. The Hub also contacted the businesses that were unsuccessful to provide independent and impartial advice on apprenticeships and where possible support them with their specific business needs.
Through the 25% levy transfer Portsmouth City Council are proudly supporting a number of local employers within the city to take on new apprentices and develop existing employees, including Aspex Gallery.
If you would like to be involved in transferring some of the unused funds from your apprenticeship levy, to help benefit businesses in your area, or would like to apply for receiving funds via a Levy Transfer – Then speak to a member of our team today using the contact page on the website, or by emailing: hello@solentapprenticeshiphub.com, or speak to us on Social Media!