Deadline: 12 August 2024
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is providing apprenticeship funding over three years for the training and education of aspiring craftspeople.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) supports the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople through traditional college courses, vocational training, apprenticeships and one-to-one training with a master craftsperson; helping to support Britain’s cultural heritage and sustain vital skills in traditional and contemporary crafts.
What they fund?
- They offer funding of £12,000 for one, two or three-year apprenticeships, to contribute to the apprentice’s salary, ensuring they receive at least the minimum wage. The maximum funding they can grant for one year is £6,000.
- The focus is on supporting apprentices who aspire to become established craftspeople and are committed to staying in the UK, making a valuable contribution to the British craft sector.
- QEST does not fund:
- Repeat applications from previously successful employers
- Anything that is not related to craft
- Business start-up/support costs
- Loss of income
Ineligible Funding
- Please note that they do not fund:
Who can apply?
- They welcome applications from all craftspeople, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or nationality; and particularly encourage those with protected characteristics that are under-represented in the craft sector to apply.
- They support makers who identify their practice within the field of craft and have a strong foundation and clear commitment to their craft.
- Apprentices must be:
- Aged 18 or above at the time of application (with no upper age limit).
- Living in the UK with the right to reside permanently.
- Able to demonstrate a certain level of skill and potential for excellence (meaning that they possess some experience and are not completely new to the field).
- Commitment to their craft, with a willingness to remain with the organisation they are apprenticed to in the long term and/or an aspiration to establish their own business in the future.
- Employed or working closely with the master or company for a minimum of 6 months (preferably 1 year) before applying.
- Employers must be:
- A micro-business or sole trader based in the UK. These businesses must meet the eligibility criteria outlined by Companies House, which include a turnover of less than £632,000, a balance sheet value of £316,000 or less, and fewer than 10 employees.
- Able to demonstrate a sound and viable business, along with genuine financial need, illustrating their requirement for QEST’s support to hire an apprentice.
- Unable to access funds from any other apprenticeship schemes, including government programs.
For more information, visit QEST.
