The James Kane Foundation has recently agreed to fund Workplus to allow them to conduct research into establishing a Shared Apprenticeship Agency in Northern Ireland.
Workplus works in the apprenticeship space in Northern Ireland, connecting employers and aspiring apprentices. It is currently working with over 60 companies across the sectors.
Richard Kirk, CEO of Workplus, said, “We are grateful to the James Kane Foundation for supporting this research project. Over the last two years, the topic of Shared or Flexi Apprenticeships has been a key consideration for the UK Government as it thinks about how to stimulate the economy and nurture talent pipelines pertinent to growing and emerging sectors. It also feeds into how to make apprenticeships more accessible and attractive for small and micro businesses.
“Currently there are no Shared Apprenticeship Agencies in Northern Ireland. This piece of research, kindly enabled by the James Kane Foundation, will focus in on the rationale behind Shared/Flexi apprenticeships, as well as consider opportunities, challenges, feasibility and key considerations involved in establishing a Shared Apprenticeship Agency in Northern Ireland. Currently only 10% of employers here engage in the apprenticeship system. This research project will allow us to test the Shared Apprenticeship concept with small and micro businesses to see if this model would make it easier for them to engage with apprenticeships.”