The Future Apprentices for Business (FAB) grants programme launched in February 2023 to support businesses to create new apprenticeships. Since then, Wigan Council has paid out over 100 grants to businesses in the borough, helping to create much-needed apprenticeship opportunities for our young people.
At the start of the 2026-27 financial year, Wigan Council committed a further £200,000 to the programme, taking the total funding for FAB to £700,000.
We know the economic climate has changed significantly since the programme launched. Sustained cost of living pressures, year-on-year increases in national minimum wage rates, rises in employer national insurance contributions and wider inflationary pressures have all added to the cost challenges faced by local businesses.
The FAB grant is designed to provide a practical, financial incentive for businesses in the Wigan borough to consider recruiting an apprentice, even in a challenging trading environment. Alongside government financial incentives for recruiting eligible apprentices, the grant can help make apprentice recruitment a more viable option for employers who want to invest in their future workforce.
Apprenticeships play a critical role in helping businesses meet staffing needs and develop the skills they need for the future. They also create valuable employment with essential training for younger residents across the borough.
The FAB programme helps employers invest in their business, meet recruitment needs and make apprenticeship roles more attractive to a wider range and higher calibre of applicants.
Our grants are for local businesses that recruit a new apprentice and pay them at least the national minimum wage for their age.
Paying the national minimum wage rather than the apprenticeship wage can make your apprenticeship offer more attractive to potential applicants. It may also give you the option to recruit a more experienced or older young adult without the full cost pressure of funding the role alone.
There may also be additional government payments of £1,000 if you recruit a young person aged 16 to 18 when they start the apprenticeship, or aged 19 to 24 if they are from an eligible group such as having an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or having been in care.
There is also a new £2,000 Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) Hiring Incentive available to non-levy paying employers in the UK for every new apprentice hired aged 16 to 24. The scheme applies to apprentices starting from 1st October 2026, provided the learner joined the business within the previous 90 days. These government incentives can be accessed in addition to our FAB grant.
We have two levels of FAB grant available, paid over the duration of the programme:
- Basic grant £3,000 - You can recruit any young person to your role using the find an apprenticeship (external link) website. Employers can recruit through a variety of different ways: through the training provider, who will offer a free recruitment service; through their own promotion of the role; or a combination of approaches
- Enhanced grant £5,000 - You will select your new apprentice from a talent pool of individuals identified by our employment and skills programmes. These will be apprenticeship-ready young people from our priority groups, including care leavers, Children Looked After, those with special educational needs and disabilities, and young people currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Who can apply?
To be eligible, businesses would be required to:
- Recruit an apprentice who is a resident of the borough aged between 16 and 24 years, and who has the right to work in England
- Have a location within Wigan borough and have fewer than 250 employees. In exceptional circumstances, we will consider applications from employers without a location in Wigan borough, if they hold a contract with Wigan Council to provide goods or services, or a place on a Wigan Council framework
- Pay the apprentice at least the national minimum wage (external link) for their age and not the lower apprenticeship wage - please note that these rates increase annually each April
- Recruit a new apprentice and not apply for funding for an existing employee. FAB approval must be given before an apprenticeship agreement is signed and employment commences
- Commit to sign up to Wigan Council’s Believe in Business charter and complete the self-assessment form
- Commit to our terms and conditions and monitoring arrangements for the grant
How can I apply?
We are using a two-stage application process for this scheme.
The first step is to complete our online expression of interest form.
Funds are not guaranteed and businesses must meet the terms and conditions.
Expressions of interest will be reviewed by the team to confirm initial eligibility requirements are being met. Once this has been confirmed, the team will be in touch to run through the grant criteria and eligibility. Assuming the business is happy to proceed, we will progress to Stage 2 (full application) of the process.
Please note: we will attempt to contact the business about the expression of interest by phone. If this is not possible, we will leave a message requesting a call back and send an email requesting they get in touch. If the business fails to reply, we will be unable to progress the interest to the next stage towards completing the application for the grant.
How will the funding be awarded?
The funding will be paid in instalments as set out in the terms and conditions.
The number of instalments and when they are paid will depend on whether you are selecting an apprentice from our talent pool or through general recruitment.
- £3,000 Basic grant: £1,000 paid at start and £2,000 at end of apprenticeship
- £5,000 Enhanced talent pool grant: £1,000 paid at start, £2,000 at mid-point and £2,000 at end of apprenticeship
Please note that all grant payments will be subject to evidence being received that confirms grant criteria is being met. Should this evidence not be forthcoming, grant payments will not be processed and approval will be withdrawn. The apprentice must still be employed, on programme and on track with their learning to trigger the next grant instalment. If this is not the case, instalments may be deferred until such time as this requirement is met.
This funding is in addition to any government funding and employer incentives relating to apprenticeship recruitment, such as those referenced above. Further details can be found on GOV.UK (external link).
Monitoring
Businesses will be required to work closely with Wigan Council throughout the length of the apprenticeship programme.
Monitoring will be carried out by Wigan Council and this will require businesses to provide evidence during the programme to confirm the apprentice is still in employment, is progressing and being supported. We will check:
- Whether the business is still training the apprentice
- Progress by the apprentice
- National minimum wage requirements are still being adhered to
- Any issues arising from the apprenticeship
Payments could be affected if monitoring is delayed, or if progress with the apprenticeship has been delayed by the business not adhering to apprenticeship requirements.
Wigan Council reserves the right to delay grant payments or withhold these should evidence not be forthcoming.
Should an apprentice leave an employer or withdraw from their programme of learning, no further grant payments will be made to that employer.
Building FAB Apprenticeships