Abbeydale Cottage Nursery is one of the first businesses in South Yorkshire to benefit from the South Yorkshire-wide Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking scheme.
Based on Abbeydale Road South in Dore, the nursery employs 33 staff and looks after almost 160 children under four.
The matchmaking service enables larger employers to pledge their unspent Apprenticeship Levy funding to support smaller to medium sized businesses.
Small businesses usually have to make a contribution towards the training costs of apprentices, but if their application to the matchmaking service is successful, that cost is waived.
Emily Steele, Manager at Abbeydale Cottage Nursery, said: “This is an amazing and priceless opportunity to get apprenticeship training for free and incredibly valueable for our business. Given the significant demand for nursery places and the need to retain skilled staff, it was a no brainer – we couldn’t not apply to the fund.
“We run a busy and popular nursery. It is vital that we invest in our staff to develop and retain them, which in turn helps us to provide the best service for our customers.
“There are so many advantages to training apprentices. They bring fresh, new ideas and we can mould their training to suit our business skills needs. The fact that apprentices learn in the workplace really helps with the development of their knowledge and skills. There is no substitute for learning on the job.
“The process of applying to the Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking Service was really straightforward and I would encourage any other small businesses to consider it.”
Keith Richardson, Manager, South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub, said: “We are committed to building the skills that South Yorkshire needs by ensuring that smaller employers get the support to grow their businesses.
“Scores of businesses and apprentices are benefitting from the hub including the transfer of levy funding to SMEs to support apprenticeship training costs.
“Apprenticeships are a great way to invest in the future of your organisation and we would encourage more businesses to get in touch and find out more.”
