Mitie pledges £1.1 million for UK engineering apprentices

• Mitie has committed to gift £1.1 million of its Apprenticeship Levy funds to SMEs across England since 2021
• Through this gifting, Mitie will support 70 new apprenticeships, many of which are new roles and mainly technical apprenticeships
• Mitie’s apprenticeship strategy targets key skills gaps in the industry, such as committing to support 15 new Installation Engineer Apprenticeships

Mitie has passed the £1 million milestone for its Apprenticeship Levy gifting, committing to support a range of SMEs across England since January 2021. Through this gifting programme, Mitie will support more than 70 apprenticeships, many of which are new roles and predominantly technical apprenticeships.

Mitie is a passionate champion of apprenticeships and their role in supporting learning and development, with more than 1,000 colleagues undertaking an apprenticeship at any one time. As a large business, Mitie pays 0.5% of its total salary costs into the Levy each year. However, it is also able to gift up to 25% of any unspent funds to support the development of future talent of organisations that are not large enough to pay into the scheme – mainly SMEs and charitable organisations – which it has been doing since January 2021.

Mitie has a targeted approach to use these unspent funds to address key skills gaps in the facilities management (FM) sector, as well as skills to support the wider industry, such as energy and telecoms, while also supporting wider job creation and social mobility in the UK. In line with its social value commitments, Mitie prioritises Levy gifting that supports the recovery of SMEs following the COVID pandemic, provides opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and addresses skills gaps that need to be filled to futureproof the industry.

Similarly, Mitie has a specific focus on supporting the UK telecoms industry and has committed to gift funding to support 15 Installation Engineer Apprenticeships for a British telecoms SME. These apprentices are just starting their careers in the sector and will be working to support the investment in the UK’s telecoms network, specifically the rollout of fibre. Mitie also acts as a representative of the facilities management industry on the Cellular Network Field Engineer Apprenticeship trailblazer group, working with cross-sector colleagues to develop a new level four apprenticeship standard. The new apprenticeship is being created to encourage more people to train in the skills needed to support the UK’s critical rollout of 5G technology.

Jasmine Hudson, Group HR Director, Mitie, said:

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic way for colleagues to learn the skills they need to kick-start their careers, upskill to take the next step and progress, or reskill if they are looking for a new challenge. As a major British employer, we believe we have an important role to play in helping more businesses, particularly SMEs, develop the skills they need for the future. As well as aligning with our social value commitments, Levy gifting supports a sustainable pipeline of talent that will ensure our industry can continue to grow and flourish.”