Evaluation of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16 to 24) programme

At a point when youth unemployment was a particular challenge, the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers was designed to contribute to ameliorating this by increasing the number of businesses engaged with the programme, and thereby creating more vacancies for young people.

The Grant of £1,500 was available to businesses who recruited a 16-24 year old onto an apprenticeship. It assisted with the costs of having an apprentice in the firm while they trained and became productive.

The evaluation was delivered in partnership by BMG Research and IES, with IES leading on provider research and the return-on-investment assessment and BMG leading consultations with national stakeholders and employers. The government continued to offer the Grant beyond the initial period envisaged and, as a consequence, the evaluation research continued.

This report describes the findings of research, which involved talking with participating employers, government agencies and training organisations involved in the administration of the grant. All aspects of the policy are covered, from the way it was run, whether the grant amount was set at the right level, to satisfaction with the learning and training.