- By Buckinghamshire Business First

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The Employer Support Fund (ESF) provides financial assistance to employers offering high-quality T Level industry placements between 23rd April 2025 and 31st March 2026.
Up to £6.3 million is available to support the ESF for the 2025 to 2026 financial year. This consists of up to:
- £1.8 million to support employers of all sizes delivering industry placements in the Construction T Level route
- £4.5 million to support employers of all sizes offering industry placements for the Health T Level, and SMEs offering industry placements for all other T Levels
Eligibility requirements
In order to qualify as an SME, an enterprise must have both:
- fewer than 250 staff
- less than or equal to £44million in annual turnover or a balance sheet total of less than or equal to £38million
Examples of eligible costs
The fund should be used for:
- administrative costs, such as setting up:
- processes and procedures
- organisational systems
- a physical workspace to support delivery
- tangible costs, such as:
- equipment
- insurance
- security passes
- software licensing
- employer transport costs
- materials and supplies directly related to the industry placement
- training, such as specialised courses or certifications for students, or any necessary training required by the employer to support the placement – for example, safeguarding courses for staff
Learn more
To find out more about offering T-Level placements and accessing the Employer Support Fund, explore the guidance here.