Pharmacy apprenticeship provider Skills4Pharmacy has funded 130 apprentices using over £1million in levy transfer funding, it announced last week (February 18). 

Skills4Pharmacy has worked with large employers who have transferred unused annual levy funds to community pharmacies taking on apprentices and are trained with Skills4Pharmacy. 

Read more: GPhC and NHSE announce ‘unique’ new pharmacy tech fellowship 

It’s managing director Amerjit Singh said “through our partnerships, we’re able to secure funding to make apprenticeships affordable for businesses”. 

He added he was pleased to help pharmacies “looking at developing your workforce” and “bridge the skills gap through pharmacy apprenticeships”. 

Skills4Pharmacy raised over £1million since November and provides training for the level 2 pharmacy services assistant and level 3 pharmacy technician apprenticeships. 

Read more: Funded community pharmacy technician apprenticeship ‘oversubscribed’ 

It provides training for apprentices in community pharmacies who have been linked with the large employers – those with a pay bill of over £3 million - transferring up to 50% of their unused apprenticeship levy funds to them to utilise for apprenticeship opportunities. 

Smaller employers like community pharmacies pay 5% of the apprenticeship training cost, and the government pays the rest. 

Since Singh launched Skills4Pharmacy in 2015, it has supported nearly 4,000 learners and helps contractors to recruit, train and educate their pharmacy teams. He has also owned Sharoe Green Pharmacy in Preston for 23 years. 

Read more: NHSE reveals details of community pharmacy tech apprenticeship – but act fast 

It comes after this month, Asda called for a “flexible and simpler” apprenticeship system after a potential £7m it could have spent funding apprentices went unused. 

C+D also visited a London pharmacy to see how apprentices are benefitting their community, and the finances of its owner. 

And last month, all 62 places on Numark’s new pharmacy technician apprenticeship programme were taken within just one day.