Funding for new motorcycle technician apprenticeship approved

“The NMDA is pleased to announce that the funding level for the new motorcycle technician apprenticeship standard has now been approved”, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.

Following three years of intense work, the NMDA motorcycle trailblazer apprenticeship standard and ‘end-point assessment’ were finally signed off as ready to go by the Government earlier this year.

The need for a new employer-driven technician apprenticeship became apparent following the Government’s plans to increase the number of young people learning a skill or craft in all industries rather than either going to university or into a manual job without trained skills and, possibly, with limited prospects for the future. To ensure this, the Government mandated that all businesses with a payroll over three million would pay a 0.5% levy to cover the training of trailblazer apprenticeships.

Latham continues, “The final hurdle was to assess the trailblazer funding level which would support the cost of training. Initially our trailblazer group was advised that the funding level would be set at £9,000, however after careful deliberation, this amount was determined to be too low and appealed the decision. The government has now approved a new funding level of £11,000 which will allow education establishments and providers to offer apprenticeships. For Motorcycle dealers and repairers not paying the levy, they will be able to claim 90% of the funding from the Government (£9,900) towards apprenticeship training costs.

“This is welcome news for the industry to have a definitive apprenticeship programme for motorcycles technicians approved and funded, therefore allowing dealers, manufacture’s and training providers to plan for the future. Our thanks and gratitude goes to all the motorcycle dealer employers and providers that worked on the project under the guidance of the Chair Philip Youles of Youles Motorcycles of Blackburn & Manchester as well as our Institute for Apprenticeships Relationship Manager Mark Aberdein.”