The South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking Service is to receive new funding from the BBC to support apprenticeship training within local small and mediums size enterprises (SMEs) across South Yorkshire. The service, which forms part of the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub, is funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and delivered by the South Yorkshire Colleges Partnership. The BBC has now pledged £100,000 Apprenticeship Levy fund, which will allow people who want to work in the creative and digital industries, or who currently are, to earn while they learn.

The South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking Service is one of several services receiving levy funds from the national broadcaster with an aim to encourage SMEs in their area to apply for the funds so they can recruit apprentices and create apprenticeships for their businesses.

The South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub, which aims to see 300 new high-quality apprenticeships brought to the region by 2025, was launched by South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, in December 2023.

Welcoming the BBC’s additional funding, he said: “This contribution from the BBC recognises the significant contribution the creative and digital industries make to South Yorkshire’s young people and the wider economy.  South Yorkshire doesn’t just need a bigger economy, we need a better economy. That means we need the right people with the right skills, and the right training and education to support them”.

Sarah Moors, BBC Head of Apprenticeships, said: “Apprenticeships provide a vital route into the media for people from a range of backgrounds. In pledging these funds, we hope to support the development of new talent for the creative, cultural and digital sectors, and to equip existing employees with additional skills”.

Launched in 2017 by the Government, the Apprenticeship Levy allows for organisations to pay a certain amount each year towards the costs of enabling new apprenticeships and upskilling existing employees.

Organisations generally use their levy to support those that take up apprenticeships in their own workplaces, but when that money is not spent it can be transferred to SMEs who do not have a levy fund themselves to cover apprenticeship learning and development.

For more information about the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Levy Matchmaking Service visit www.levymatch.southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk/

To find out more about South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub visit https://www.southyorkshireapprenticeships.org/

For more information about BBC Apprenticeship Partnerships visit www.bbc.co.uk/apprenticeship-partnerships/