Cheshire clean energy companies urged to apply for programme that will create 20 new apprenticeships

Trailblazing Cheshire West and Chester companies committed to the clean energy transition can now access support for new apprentices. Up to 20 apprentices could be created from the scheme funded by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and managed by Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington.

Today organisers urged businesses working in the energy production sector or carbon-intensive sectors who do not currently employ apprentices to get in touch and apply for the Apprenticeship Support Programme.

Offering a mix of financial, recruitment and networking support with a view to strengthen the local talent pool and create new apprenticeship opportunities, the programme is open to businesses based in the Cheshire West and Chester local authority area.

It is specifically aimed at those operating in the energy production sector or carbon-intensive sectors such as construction/homebuilding, manufacturing/engineering, agriculture, mining, waste management, aviation, road transport and logistics. Any apprentices recruited as part of the programme can be from anywhere in Cheshire and Warrington.

And successful applicants to the Apprenticeship Support Programme will get a raft of support including:

• Access to a referral service that will enable employers to build relationships with local training providers who can deliver training to apprentices
• The opportunity to work with a training provider to co-develop apprenticeships that support the transition to clean energy
• Access to wider support mechanisms including the North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network – this provides employers who are new to working with apprentices access to a network of experienced employers who can provide coaching and mentoring

Crucially funding of up to £10,000 is available for each business to help with their set-up costs via the Employment Incentive Scheme which sits underneath the Apprenticeship Support Programme.

The scheme comes after West Cheshire was named a “key growth region” for clean energy as part of the Regional Skills Pilot, a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero-funded project designed to support local businesses on their decarbonisation journey.

And the launch of the programme comes hot on the heels of Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Shadow Board backing the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy (SIES), which outlines a vision for Cheshire and Warrington to be the UK’s healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive, and fastest-growing economy by 2045.

Today’s announcement also follows the publication of the North West Clean Power Plan last year which concluded the North West was set to be among “global leaders in clean energy innovation and industrial decarbonisation”.

Cheshire and Warrington is leading this, with the Prime Minister visiting Cheshire in October 2024 to announce £11 billion of funding for the HyNet Hydrogen Production and Carbon Dioxide Capture Programme centred on the Origin Cluster in Ellesmere Port.

Councillor Karen Shore (pictured), Deputy Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Member of the Cheshire and Warrington Shadow Board responsible for Skills, Health and Inclusion, said: “The Apprenticeship Support Programme will create exciting career opportunities and help trailblazing green sector businesses in Cheshire West and Chester build workforce capacity ahead of the region’s transition to clean energy.

“The programme will also bolster an unwavering and collective mission for the region to be the UK’s healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive, and fastest-growing region by 2045.”