Posted on Thursday 17th February 2022
A Staffordshire human resources company that had a dip in turnover during the pandemic is set to double its business in two years with help from a new apprentice.
Ripple HR was set up as a micro business in 2018. The Lichfield-based company lost business when the pandemic hit, but now has more clients than ever.
Helping to boost the thriving client base is mature apprentice Karen Dungey, who joined in September 2021.
Karen is being supported by a £5,000 grant from the Staffordshire Means Back to Business support initiative. Grants are available to small businesses across Staffordshire to recruit and support new apprentices from the scheme that brings together funding from all the county council and district councils.
Director and founder of Ripple HR, Jane Galvez said:
Karen brings years of skills and knowledge from the education and healthcare sectors with her. With such incredible experience we’re now diversifying into brand new markets. I’ve always been focussed on Ripple HR growing with a wide range of skills and services for a wider range of clients.
Bringing Karen in was made possible through the grant that gives us that extra capacity to support her whilst she finishes her HR qualifications which she completes through distance learning. Getting the grant was really quick – it took less than four weeks.”
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
Apprentices really can make the difference to a business – as Karen has made to Ripple HR. It’s no surprise then that 72 per cent of businesses intend to take on an apprentice this year.
Now that an extra £1m of investment in the local economy has been approved by the county council’s cabinet, and we’ve been successful in securing millions more from the UK Government from the UK Community Renewal Fund, even more businesses can join the hundreds of businesses that have already received a grant to support an apprentice.”
Lichfield District Council’s cabinet member for economic development, leisure and local plan Iain Eadie said:
It’s great that by joining up with the county council we can help more businesses and apprentices like Jane and Karen at Ripple HR to grow and thrive. This is a great example of how apprentices don’t have to be straight out of school or college – Karen effectively is changing careers and helping to grow a business that really does have a bright future.”
Grants of up to £5,000 are available through https://bit.ly/AnApprenticeForLess to SMEs across Staffordshire to recruit and support their apprentices.