The LGA is calling for financial incentives to help employers create apprenticeship programmes to be extended beyond the end of the furlough scheme.
The current scheme provides employers with an additional £3,000 to take on an apprentice and is due to end at the end of September – the same date as the end of the Government’s furlough scheme.
The LGA is calling on government to extend incentives until at least 31 March 2022, to enable employers to use them as part of local economic recovery plans.
An exclusive LGA survey of councils has also revealed that local authorities have invested more than £200 million to create more than 55,000 apprenticeships in 150 qualifications over the past four years.
Cllr Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the LGA’s City Regions Board, said: “It is clear that, as the furlough scheme is phased out, there is the real possibility of a rise in the number of people out of work or training.
“To ensure people can get access to apprenticeships when they are needed the most, it is vitally important that the incentive scheme is extended.
“This scheme has already helped businesses and local authorities create tens of thousands of life-changing apprenticeship opportunities for people in their local communities.
“By extending the scheme, councils can work with local employers and the Government to ensure that the country builds back better from the pandemic.”