Starting on May 17th, SMEs and charitable organisations across the city of York will be able to access additional public funds to aid in the hiring of new apprentices or to develop existing employees.
The funding is being made available by City of York Council from unallocated funds from its Apprenticeship Levy*, and comes as part of the council’s continuing efforts to support the creation of apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages.
The total amount available to local businesses each year could be around £100,000, with individual businesses being able to request a portion to offset the training and assessment costs for new apprenticeship starts. This funding is in addition to the Government’s financial incentives, of up to £4,000** for employers who hire a new apprentice.
York businesses and charitable organisations are being encouraged to come forward if they would like support to provide apprenticeship opportunities for new or existing employees.
Cllr Andrew Waller, Executive Member for the Economy and Strategic Planning, City of York Council said:
“This apprenticeship funding will help small businesses and charities looking to help train their next generation of employees, and underlines the council’s commitment to skills and employment opportunities across the city.
“Apprenticeships provide opportunities for people across our city, from school leavers taking their first steps into the world of work, to those of any age looking for a change of career.”
Businesses and charities looking to take part in the scheme can find out more by visiting the York Apprenticeship Hub at york.gov.uk/HiringAnApprentice.
*All organisations with an annual wage bill of more than £3m legally have to set aside 0.5% of their payroll for apprenticeship training, creating a fund called the Apprenticeship Levy.
Under the government scheme, 20% of any levy not allocated by the authority can be offered to other local SMEs and charitable organisations, under the government scheme. This approach has been approved by City of York Council.
**National apprenticeships grants are currently £3,000 for hiring an apprentice of any age until 30 September 2021, plus the existing £1,000 if the apprentice is aged 16-18 or up to 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan
There have been no further deaths at the York Hospital Trust. The cumulative death toll since the start of the pandemic remains at 591
Test results
The cumulative case number total is now 12,339 following further backdated changes. It is the same total as yesterday.
Case numbers in the City have fallen from 32 to 27
Rate /100k population falls to 12.82. It is expected to remain stable during the next few days.
The weekly rolling daily average case rate number is now consistently below 5.
Case rates are falling at all levels.
Neighbourhoods
There are only three neighbourhoods now with case numbers at 3 or above.
Vaccinations
Nimbuscare are saying, “Text messages are going out to some York people this week, inviting them come early to Askham Bar’s Red Tent for their second dose vaccinations.
They will get the chance to book into our special vaccination clinics this weekend which are running 6am til 11pm at Askham Bar Vaccination Centre.
Appointments are now open to book 17 hrs a day Friday to Sunday this weekend.
This means people aged over 50yrs, or in priority groups 1-9, can have their second dose at 8 weeks, according to the new JCVI advice.
Please note this is for people in cohorts 1-9 who have already received a first dose of the vaccine. Please wait to receive your text to invite you to book and don’t contact your GP surgery”.
Tests
4523 PCR tests were carried out during the week ending 14th May
Of these, 0.6% were positive. That is the same proportion as found during the previous period
In addition, 1815 “lateral flow” tests were conducted on 18th May
Hospital
There has been no change in patient numbers at the hospital today
“More resident testing should help stop the virus spreading”
City of York Council’s contact tracers are out in communities offering symptom-free coronavirus tests in an effort to help case numbers remain low and to keep the city open.
From Wednesday 19 May, council staff will be visiting communities in the city offering testing kits to residents and encouraging them to test themselves twice a week, to stop the virus from spreading. This work will support the Council’s efforts to increase the number of people being tested for COVID to identify symptom-free cases and stop the spread of the virus.
In the coming days Council’s Public Health team will be going door to door to offer testing kits to residents. This work will start on Wednesday 19 May. It is not as the result of increased cases in that area or the presence of a variant of concern. It is the start of additional efforts to get more people tested and increase testing accessibility. Staff will have Council ID cards for identification and will be handing out free tests so residents will not be asked to pay.
The first street will be:
Wolsley Street
Gordon Street
Willis Street
Wellington Street
Barbican Mews
These streets were not as the result of increased cases in that area or the presence of a variant of concern.
The Public Health Team will be:
offering testing kits at the NHS vaccination centre for York residents and their family for regular use
offering testing kits to employers in the city so that staff can get tested
continuing to offer in-person testing and collection service at the University of York, York St John University, York Leisure Centre at the York Stadium Leisure Complex, Acomb Explore and Foxwood Community Centre
offering in-person testing at St William’s College with residents, employees and visitors able to access this service
Keith Aspden, Leader of City of York Council said:
We have seen the rate of Covid cases rising in other areas of the country, so we are keen to take proactive and preventative action to keep cases low in York by trying new ways to encourage more residents to get tested.
“We are hugely grateful to the many York residents who are continuing to do their part and get tested regularly. We are urging more residents to join the city-wide effort and get tested regularly to protect each other and our city. Regular testing, as well as practicing Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air continue to be the best ways we can protect the progress our city has made in recent months.
“We know first-hand how quickly this virus can spread, so the more testing we do to identify cases the more people we can protect. If cases continue to remain low the better our chances of moving to the next step of the lockdown easing roadmap.”
Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health, City of York Council said:
In recent months we have been putting a lot of work into encouraging people to get tested, including opening up new testing sites across the city, with lots of tests being carried out every week.
“We are continuing to take a preventative approach. 1 in 3 cases of Coronavirus has no symptoms. As we are able to see more of our friends and family we want to give our city the best possible chance of keeping cases down by encouraging more people to get tested.
“Infection rates in York remain low currently but we can’t afford to be complacent. I would like to thank everyone in the city for their continued efforts. It is through this vigilance practicing Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air, getting tested regularly and getting the vaccine when called that we can continue to reopen our city and protect our recovery from the pandemic.”
Two of York’s specialist schools could benefit from a £2.67m investment if plans are approved by City of York Council’s Executive later this month (20 May).
The Executive will be asked to approve plans for capital works at Applefields Special School, which supports secondary aged students, with a wide range of special educational needs; and Danesgate which is home to York’s Pupil Referral Unit and supports young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
The proposals recognise the continued rise in pupil numbers at Applefields over the last four years and a need to better support the needs of children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs at Danesgate.
Members will be asked to approve plans to approve works to adapt existing office and break out space into classrooms at Applefields, ready for the September 2021 intake. The proposals would enable the school to support the increasing number of young people with highly complex needs, such as those with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), autism, and those with the highest level of social and emotional need.
Phase 2 of the project would see the creation of essential administrative space and, if approved, would be completed by September 2022. The total value of the works is approximately £765,000. Remodelling and reorganisation of the site at Danesgate is needed to reflect the changing needs of the children and young people using the centre, with increasing numbers of pupils having communication and interaction needs.
The proposals also recognise the rising number of children and young people who are unable to attend school with their peers due to mental health needs and an increasing need to have more bespoke provision for many students who display anxieties, including specific intervention and break out spaces.
The proposed capital works at Danesgate would see the reconfiguration of the current buildings, to create smaller classrooms and breakout spaces, enabling the centre to meet the varied needs of pupils. The total cost of the proposed works is £1.9m.
Cllr Keith Orrell, the council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
We know that the number of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including those with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, across the city is continuing to increase. As a city committed to supporting all our residents, it’s important that we ensure that we are able to provide the right support to enable all our children and young people to fulfil their individual potential.
Recruiting to the first 19 new Cabinet Office posts based in York will begin this week (17 May).
The news follows an announcement earlier this year that around 200 roles from the Cabinet Office would move to York over the next four years. The Civil Service department is responsible for the execution of a wide range of government policy and employs almost 8,000 people across the UK, 400 of whom are already based in York.
The first phase of recruitment features a wide range of policy and analytical roles, including a Programme Manager and Business Analyst positions. Apprenticeship vacancies in policy and project management will also be offered and candidates will not require any previous civil service experience to apply.
Ian Floyd, Chief Operating Officer at City of York Council said:
York is world renowned for its heritage and culture, and the Cabinet Office’s decision to re-locate jobs to York, as part of it s wider programme to move civil servants out of London, is a vote of confidence in our city.
“It recognises York’s fantastic geographical and digital connectivity, our highly skilled workforce, high quality housing, schools and quality of life, and our ambition for continued innovation and creativity.
“Including a number of apprenticeships in the first phase of the recruitment highlights not only the part apprenticeships have to play in the city’s skills mix, but will also enable local people to apply for the posts, regardless of previous civil service experience.
“I look forward to seeing what further opportunities for local residents Cabinet Office investment will bring to our city.”
Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Alex Chisholm said:
I am pleased we are growing our presence in York as part of our drive to move Civil Service roles out of London.
“These roles provide an exciting opportunity to work on important issues right at the heart of government and I encourage anyone with the experience we are looking for to apply.”
