Department for the Economy: Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund
Overview
The Department for the Economy (DfE) has launched the Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund, worth £600,000, to increase the number of apprentices from underrepresented cohorts.
The Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund aims to promote apprenticeship uptake and participation from:
- women;
- people with disabilities; and,
- people from disadvantaged areas.
The Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund approach will seek to drive innovative collaboration projects across:
- education;
- business; and,
- voluntary and community sectors.
Why a challenge fund?
Challenge funds promote collaboration to resolve specific challenges and develop ideas that provide local solutions to local problems, stimulating greater social impact.
The challenge fund will deliver short to medium-term benefits within the project's timeframe and additionally support DfE's strategic longer-term objective of increasing participation across underrepresented cohorts in the apprenticeship system.
The challenge fund approach will seek to drive collaboration on a “three-partner” basis between education, business, and voluntary and community sectors, ensuring that all projects are embedded in their contexts, developed in line with available evidence, and guided by DfE policy.
There is no maximum number of applications per consortium or organisation. There is no limit on the number of awards that could be made to one consortium or organisation.
What support is available?
DfE has allocated a budget of £600,000 for the Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund.
The Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund will support up to six projects with allocations of around £100,000 per project over 18 months.
DfE aims to support two projects under each key theme: women, people with disabilities; and those from disadvantaged areas.
Successful applicants will be grant-funded following a competitive selection process. Eligible costs will be identified in a letter of offer to successful applicants, but could typically include: staff costs; the costs involved in collaboration/engagement; mentoring; marketing, etc.
Successful applicants must commence delivery on all funded projects in January 2025 and activity must be completed by 30 June 2026.
Who can apply
The fund is open to any organisation that has experience or an interest in the Northern Ireland apprenticeships system, however, all activity funded under the Apprenticeship Inclusion Challenge Fund must promote or broaden access to DfE-funded apprenticeship programmes across the underrepresented cohorts of women; people with disabilities; and those from disadvantaged areas.