The nation’s love of animals and the excitement of working with horses brings with it a large number of young workers into the equestrian sector. Expanding your team comes at a cost and will inevitably impact on cash flow and profitability.
The apprenticeship route continues to be an appealing method for businesses to find the young, enthusiastic workers they need to take on tasks through all weathers and often unsociable hours. Taking on an apprentice can also provide a cash incentive.
Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job with study. They can take one to five years to complete depending on the level of qualification required. Often in an equestrian business where the work is relatively unskilled, a new apprentice every year works. An apprentice must be 16 or over and not be in full-time education.
Apprentices, like other employees must be paid national minimum wage which will vary depending on their age. As part of the apprenticeship you will need to ensure that off-the-job training is available for at least 20% of the contracted time. The Government will contribute up to 95% of the training costs with the employer picking up the remaining 5%.
There are incentive payments for taking on a new employee under the apprenticeship scheme. From October 2021 the amount is £3,000 for each new employee and can be spent on anything to support your business costs.
Further details on the scheme can be found here. If you would like to discuss if taking on an apprentice will work for your business, please contact Lucie Hammond at lucie.hammond@hazlewoods.co.uk or 01242 680000.