Tannery Apprenticeship Grants
Tannery Apprenticeship Grants
The Leathersellers’ Foundation offers grants of £6,000 per annum for two years to support the training and education of aspiring workers in the leather industry through apprenticeships. We provide these opportunities to sustain vital skills in and contribute to excellence in the tanning (leather) industry in the UK.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 30th January.
Who can apply?
We are seeking tanneries willing to commit to training an apprentice to achieve the Level 2 Leather Craftsperson (Production) standard over the next two years as part of a cohort.
The aim is to sustain vital skills and promote excellence in the UK tanning industry.
In addition to the funding, the Leathersellers’ will provide:
- Expert support via UKFT to help identify a training provider and assist with setting up your programme.
- Public recognition of participating tanneries and apprentices through joint publicity with UKFT, celebrating this initiative and the educational opportunities it creates (utilising National Apprenticeships week).
- the organisation is an English-based business
- the apprenticeship will provide structured training and experience, allowing time for learning as well as working
- the apprentice will be aged 18 or over (no upper age limit) and living and working permanently in the UK
- the apprentice will receive a regular wage (at least minimum wage based on age). We encourage companies to aim for the Living Wage (£12.21/hour) or to reach that level during the apprenticeship
What do we fund?
We offer grants of £6,000 per annum, for a maximum of a two years. This should contribute towards the business’ costs of training the apprentice (where possible to gain recognised qualifications) or the apprentice’s salary.
We want to support excellence in British leatherworking, so we are looking for apprentices to be people planning to utilise their skills and stay in the UK to contribute to the leather industry.
Timeline
Applications are now open for 2026 and will close at 5pm on Friday 30th January.
We will know of the outcome of your application by February 11th 2026, and will let you know shortly after.
Terms of the Grant
Please note that should you be successful in receiving this funding, you will be required to report annually to the Leathersellers against the goals stated in your application. Multi-year funding is paid annually dependent on receipt of a satisfactory report. The Trustees of the Foundation have the discretion to discontinue the award if circumstances require.
Unsure of your eligibility or have any other questions? Please contact nrymaszewska@leathersellers.org before applying.