Page 10 - Gi September2020

management & education news

NEW MATCHING AND REDUNDANCY employment, plus information about
financial support and talking to
SUPPORT SERVICE FOR APPRENTICES someone about how you’re coping,” the
service adds.
The government has set an aim of
helping apprentices to find alternative
employment within 12 weeks of being
made redundant.
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister
Gillian Keegan said: “Covid-19 has
had a big impact on business and the
jobs market, and we know that some
apprentices have lost their jobs or are
facing redundancy as a result.
“We are taking unprecedented steps
through our 'Plan for Jobs' to protect,
support and create jobs, with a clear
focus on ensuring people have the right
skills to get into work and progress.
This includes creating more high
COVID-19 HAS HAD A BIG IMPACT quality apprenticeship opportunities to
ON THE JOBS MARKET help get our economy moving.”
The new service also advises
A NEW SERVICE that allows employers [employer] details with [redundant] employers that they could be eligible
to share their vacancies with redundant apprentices who are interested in your for incentive payments for hiring a new
apprentices has been launched by the opportunity, so they can contact you apprentice, as announced by Chancellor
Department for Education. directly”, reports FE Week. Rishi Sunak in his summer statement.
The ‘vacancy sharing service’ has Out-of-work apprentices are being From August 2020 until the 31
been set up alongside a new online advised to call that line to “get free January 2021, businesses taking on
and telephone support service for advice, find new opportunities, and new apprentices will be rewarded with
apprentices who have lost their jobs access local and national support £2,000 for a 16 to 24-year-old and
during Covid-19 outbreak. services offering financial, health and £1,500 for a 25 year-old or over.
Apprenticeship vacancies can already wellbeing, legal and careers advice”.
be viewed via the government’s ‘Find “You can also read our guidance for Separately, a new ‘Redundancy Support
an Apprenticeship’ website, but the apprentices affected by redundancy. Service for Apprentices’ is available by
new service will see the DfE “share your There’s advice for finding alternative calling 0800 015 0400.

FURLOUGHED STAFF GUARANTEED REDUNDANCY than when at work.

From 1 September the government’s
PAY BASED ON FULL WAGES UNDER NEW LAW contribution will drop to 70 per cent
and employers will be required to
EMPLOYEES MADE redundant redundancy payouts on normal wages, start contributing 10 per cent of
while on furlough will be guaranteed there were some that were not. furloughed employees’ wages. This
redundancy pay based on their “We urge employers to do changes again in October, when the
normal wage and not their furloughed everything they can to avoid making government’s contribution will fall
rate, under new legislation. redundancies, but where this is to 60 per cent and employers will be
Under the change, furloughed unavoidable it is important that expected to contribute 20 per cent.
workers would also be entitled to employees receive the payments they
statutory notice pay equivalent to are rightly entitled to,” said Sharma.
their normal wages, and any future “New laws coming into force today
unfair dismissal cases would be based [30 July] will ensure furloughed workers
on their full wages rather than pay are not short changed if they are ever
under the furlough scheme, which can made redundant – providing some
in some cases be substantially lower reassurance for workers and their
than an employee’s contracted pay, families during this challenging time.”
reports People Management. Under the job retention scheme,
Business Secretary Alok Sharma the government pays 80 per cent of
said the new rules would ensure the wages of furloughed workers up
employees on the job retention to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
scheme were not “short changed” While employers are allowed to top
if made redundant. In a statement, up furlough payments, they are not
the government added that while the required to do so, leading to many MOST BUSINESSES
majority of businesses were basing staff being furloughed on a lower wage BASED PAYOUTS ON
NORMAL WAGES

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13/08/2020 09:22
News.indd 5
News.indd 5 13/08/2020 09:22