SMALL businesses in the Cotswolds can start the new year with a £10,000 bonus by taking part in a regional apprenticeship scheme.

Businesses in the South West with fewer than ten employees are being offered the reward if they recruit an apprentice aged between 16 and 18.

The scheme, launched by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), encourages firms to train young people on the job, developing the specific skills to make the business more productive, profitable and competitive.

Small businesses that already employ a 16 to 18-year-old are eligible for a £500 payment if they move that employee onto the apprenticeship programme.

The NAS’s new employer services team provides support from the first enquiry to completion so that taking on an apprentice is even easier.

"Our job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly so that small businesses maximise the benefits that apprenticeships bring," said the South West’s NAS employer services director Rob Sly.

"We understand that small business employers are very busy people who need to see results when they try something new or different."

A recent survey commissioned by the NAS, showed local consumers’ resounding support for young job seekers with 94 percent of people in the South West thinking it important that companies take on apprentices during the recession.

Federation of Small Businesses regional organiser Paul Goffe said: “The extra £1000 NAS bonus for small businesses that take on an apprentice is good news for business, employment, the area and will help boost the economy. This extra money is a very positive investment for the future, building an industrial skills base in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and across the whole South West. The FSB will do its best to support and promote this initiative.”

The number of places available on the scheme is limited and employers will be selected on a first come, first served basis. Apprenticeship vacancies can be advertised free of charge on apprenticeships.org.uk For more information contact 01793 608013 or email christina.gill@apprenticeships.gov.uk