Small Business Saturday 2019 will take place across the UK on Saturday 7 December, a campaign to celebrate, support and promote small businesses.
Survival rates for SMEs in Oxfordshire are particularly strong, with 49.3% of the 2,790 new businesses created in Oxfordshire in 2011 still in operation in 2016 (ONS report- November 2017) and South Oxfordshire in particular holding one of the highest five-year ‘survival rates’ for SMEs anywhere in the UK (Nesta's 'State of Small Business' report- October 2017). One of the key ways in which a business can survive and grow is through attracting and retaining the right talent, for example through apprenticeship schemes.
Employing an apprentice provides the opportunity to expand and utilise a whole range of different skills and knowledge within your workforce, whilst making the most of the Apprenticeship Levy initiative.
In our latest vlog, we discuss the opportunities this brings for SMEs and how the OxLEP Skills team can support you in finding out more about taking on an apprentice.
If you'd like to find out more about employing an apprentice and the benefits of this, contact the OxLEP Skills team: [email protected].
If you already employ an apprentice and think your business deserves to be recognised for your commitment to providing such opportunities, the recently launched Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2020 have introduced an Apprenticeship Employer Award for organisations with less than 10 employees.
