On funding for capital investments you may want to visit our Business Link site which can help you access capital allowances for purchasing new production machinery. In addition HMRC have an Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme which is a key part of the Government’s programme to manage climate change. It provides businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria.

Regarding design skills provision, there is the recently developed Talent Map which has been launched by UKCES. It is a web based tool which enables employers to identify and locate the appropriate skills and employment service most relevant to their particular needs. You may also be interested in the UK design skills alliance which aims to help designers do more training and development, and to help design educators provide new courses.

Thank you for your comments. Have you tried contacting the national apprenticeship service, additional money has been annouced to help employers with apprenticeships and they should be able to advise you on potential funding for your 3D drawing course fees.

On funding for capital investments you may want to visit our Business Link site which can help you access capital allowances for purchasing new production machinery. In addition HMRC have an Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme which is a key part of the Government’s programme to manage climate change. It provides businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria.

Most of the measures in the package are funded through the Strategic Investment Fund. This £750 million fund was announced in Budget 2009 to support advanced industrial projects of strategic importance, of which £250 million has been ring fenced specifically for low carbon initiatives, a further £50 million for the Technology Strategy Board and £10 million to promote UK sector expertise through UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). The remaining £440m has so far been allocated to support major investments in the UK aerospace industry, the creation of a UK Innovation Investment Fund and provision of universal broadband, as well as projects supporting the Advanced Manufacturing Strategy.

In 2007/8 we introduced more than 23,500 apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing; an area we predict will see significant growth over the coming years. The Government recently announced an additional £11m to expand the number of places in businesses with a proven track record in offering high-quality Apprenticeships. This will result in nearly 3,000 new places overall, of which over 1,200 will be in engineering and manufacturing. The additional funding will allow businesses to expand the number of apprentices, while benefitting smaller and newer companies in their supply chains to take them on at a later date. At the same time, it will support more young people into Apprenticeships and help build a more highly skilled workforce. Employers with existing apprenticeships wishing to expand should contact the national apprenticeship service. Employers wishing to set up new apprenticeships need to contact their sector skills council (SEMTA) to agree a framework for the training before they can access funding.

In addition, BIS, the dept for work and pensions and dept for Culture Media and Sport have just launched a new campaign called Backing Young Britain to engage business leaders and encourage the private, public and third sectors to create new opportunities, such as graduate internships, apprenticeships and work experience places.

Our website has a list of links to Real Help now for Manufacturers available through business link and the Regional Development Agencies. On funding for capital you may want to visit our Business Link site which can help you access capital allowances for purchasing new production machinery. In addition HMRC have an Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme which is a key part of the Government’s programme to manage climate change. It provides businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria.

The Advanced Manufacturing Package focuses in on technologies with identified high growth potential where government can make a difference by removing barriers to market. Many manufacturers – including SMEs – have the potential to benefit the use of Advanced Manufacturing. For example by incorporating new lightweight materials or advanced processes. New industrial technologies – such as industrial biotechnologies, plastic electronics, silicon electronics, and composites – have potential commercial applications across a huge range of businesses.

This package complements and does not replace the existing support for manufacturers outlined in the Manufacturing Strategy of September 2008. You can find out more about the strategy and the measures in it at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file47659.pdf In addition, the MAS website at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.mas.berr.gov.uk provides manufacturers with practical, hands-on support focused on improving your bottom line. If you are an SME all our support is either free or highly subsidised.

You may want to visit our Business Link site which can help you access capital allowances for purchasing new production machinery. In addition HMRC have an Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.eca.gov.uk/etl/default.htm which is a key part of the Government’s programme to manage climate change. It provides businesses with enhanced tax relief for investments in equipment that meets published energy-saving criteria. You may wish to see if the new machinery you need for your foundry would comply with these criteria and for additional support.