Apprenticeship Employer Grant and Apprentice Transition Plan

The Scottish Government has announced a new Apprenticeship Employer Grant (AEG) to further support employers who take on a Modern or Graduate Apprentice within their business.

This increased financial support aims to encourage more employers to take on an Apprentice or upskill an existing staff member through an apprenticeship.

The funding includes £5,000 for eligible employers who:

  • take on or upskill a 16 – 24 year old through an apprenticeship
  • take on or upskill a 25 – 29 year old who has a disability, is care-experienced, or is from a black, Asian, or minority ethnic background


It also includes £3,500 for eligible employers who:

  • take on or upskill an individual aged 25 and over through an apprenticeship

This funding forms part of the Scottish Government’s £60 million Young Person’s Guarantee, which aims to give everyone aged 16 – 24 the opportunity of work, education, or training.

The AEG funding will be available for eligible employers where the apprenticeship start date was on or after 1 December 2020.  Funding will be available for apprenticeships which start up until 25 March 2021 or until funding levels are exceeded, whichever comes first.

Redundant Apprentices can also seek support from the new Apprentice Transition Plan (ATP), which was introduced to support Apprentices who have been made redundant as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19.

Affected Apprentices will be able to get help to achieve their qualifications, recognition for their learning, and assistance to take the next step in their careers.

Available from 1 December 2020, this scheme will be delivered by either the Apprentice’s learning provider, or a designated third-party provider.  The assistance provides one-to-one guidance to redundant Apprentices, ensuring that they are supported into the next stage of their career.

Part of the service will be the creation of a ‘Record of Achievement’ that documents an individual’s skills, training, and qualifications to date.  It will outline the Apprentice’s capabilities as benchmarked against a national SCQF standard, which will help employers to make informed recruitment decisions.

Further details about each of these initiatives are available at www.apprenticeships.scot.