Grant Thornton to develop business skills apprenticeship
Top ten firm appointed by BIS to develop apprenticeships
GRANT THORNTON has been chosen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to develop an apprenticeship covering core skills in business administration and customer management.
The fifth-largest firm has been championing the cause of mid-sized businesses in recent months, and this week submitted a 20-page document submitted to the chancellor calling for companies to be allocated dedicated points of contact in government to provide such companies with a greater voice and aid compliance.
The apprenticeship scheme will help “define the skills, knowledge and competencies needed to support businesses’ growth aspirations”, the firm said.
Skills minister Nick Boles said the firm is playing “a key role” in developing new top-quality apprenticeships.
Grant Thornton director Simon Littlewood said: “BIS’s Apprenticeships programme is already successful, providing proven benefits to both employers and apprentices. We are delighted to be leading on the evolution of the programme to help keep apprenticeships responsive to employers’ needs and providing apprentices with a great grounding in business administration and management, helping them to build a career.
“We recognise the importance of robust apprenticeship programmes, not only from our perspective as an employer, but also from what we are hearing from our client base. Skills and talent availability is increasing as a barrier to growth for business. BIS is rightly placing employers firmly in the driving seat and we shall look at how best to simplify the system and improve quality to enable businesses to develop the skills and talent they need.