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19 Mar 2026

This one's sobering: 42% of small businesses reported a cyber breach in 2024, according to the National Cyber Security Centre. And it's not just massive corporations being targeted. It's small,...

19 Mar 2026

The Chancellor held a roundtable discussion on a future high street strategy last week, with Bira the sole voice representing smaller retail businesses. Read an update on Bira's place at a...

18 Mar 2026

An independent bike shop is refusing to sell or repair e-scooters over concerns about how they are being used, with the area’s police force backing the call and urging others to follow...

17 Mar 2026

Walking, wheeling and cycling across the Liverpool City Region are saving the NHS £53.8 million every year, according to the latest Walking and Cycling Index, with cycling playing a key...

13 Mar 2026

Findings from consumer rights publication Which? add to calls from the E-Bike Positive campaign to better scrutinise these sites and promote quality e-bikes from reputable manufacturers and...

6 Mar 2026

The Metropolitan Police have seized more than 50 illegal e-bikes during a two-day crackdown in London as part of a wider effort to tackle crime linked to illegally modified electric bikes.

5 Mar 2026

ACT parent company Bira has warned that the Chanellor's Spring Statement offered no new support for high street businesses, as rising tensions in the Middle East threaten to push up energy...

4 Mar 2026

The UK cycle industry were brought together at COREbike 2026, with retailers, distributors and industry partners gathering for several days of meetings, networking and product showcases.

3 Mar 2026

A Scottish bike repair shop and cafe has recently moved premises into a bigger unit thanks to a growth in business, with the local council noting the positive impact it would have on the local...

26 Feb 2026

Here's one that often surprises people: professional indemnity insurance. It's not just for lawyers and accountants. Joanna Evans, Head of Bikmo for Business, explains in the next installment of...

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Apprenticeship funding changes and bigger discounts for ACT members

Posted on in Cycles News

With the recent changes to apprenticeship funding, it can now cost even less to take on an apprentice.

Whether you already have a member of staff in your business who wants to enhance their technical knowledge, or you're looking to take on a new member of staff and give them the skills they need to thrive, an Apprenticeship could be the right solution.

There have been significant changes to the way apprenticeship funding works, including the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and more support for smaller employers.

Larger employers (with an annual wage bill of over £3 million) are now required to pay 0.5% of their wage bill into a levy to be used towards funding apprenticeships.

Smaller employees, (with an annual wage bill under £3 million), do not have to pay a levy. They also benefit from additional funding, paying just 10% of apprenticeship costs, while the Government pays 90%.

ATG Training, provider of Cytech cycle maintenance apprenticeships, have been able to restructure the price of their apprenticeship programme thanks to the changes in government funding.

Putting an employee through the Intermediate Cycle Maintenance apprenticeship now costs just £500 in employer contributions, with a 20% discount for ACT members, making it just £400.

The Advanced Cycle Maintenance apprenticeship now costs just £995, with a 10% discount for ACT staff, at just £900.

Better still, companies with fewer than 50 employees that take on apprentices aged between 16 and 18 will have 100% of their training costs paid for.

ATG Training offers two apprenticeships for cycle mechanics:

  • Intermediate Cycle Maintenance - for working mechanics who want more training and qualifications under their belts. This includes a Cycle Maintenance Certificate, Cytech technical two training (including wheel building) and qualification, Cycle Maintenance NVQ2 and Keyskills Level 1 or 2.
  • Advanced Cycle Apprenticeship - for those who want more technical know-how after completing the standard apprenticeship. This includes the Diploma of Cycle Maintenance, Cytech technical three training and qualification, Cycle Maintenance NVQ3 and Keyskills at a minimum of Level 2.

To find out more click here, contact ATG Training on info@atg-training.co.uk or call 01296 737 800.

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