18–21
6-Week Fast Track
£2,553.00 – £2,887.80
maximum funding per intern
- Salary funding
- 100% funded, at National Minimum / Living Wage
- Weekly subsidy
- £100 per week
- Hours
- 8–30 hours per week
- Best for
- Rapid onboarding
Advice · Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Internship and apprenticeship advice
There is funded, paid support in this county for people starting out — and for employers who want to take someone on. It is not run by us: the schemes below belong to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, and this page points you at them.
Schemes and figures from
01 — The route
One step can lead to the next
A paid internship can lead to an apprenticeship, and an apprenticeship to a qualification — and the funding is designed to stack that way rather than being a single one-off.
Where you are
Usually not in work or study (students: see “If you are studying” below), aged 18 or over, living in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough.
Check eligibility (opens external site)More
This is the starting point the funding is written around, and the eligibility is checked on and before the day an internship begins rather than at any later stage. There is no upper age limit and no qualification requirement to be here. If you are already in a job or on a course, the schemes on this page are not the route — but the Trailblazer also funds careers guidance, confidence and wellbeing support, and taster days, which are open more widely.
A paid internship
Six or twelve weeks, paid at least the National Minimum or Living Wage, in any sector.
Youth internships (opens external site)More
These are real paid roles rather than unpaid work experience, and CPCA are explicit that they are not internships in the traditional sense: the role can be in any sector, at any level, and of any job type. The employer receives the salary funding, so the cost of taking someone on is what the scheme removes. Hours are part-time to near-full-time depending on the option chosen.
An apprenticeship
Employers taking on an apprentice aged 16–24 can claim grants on top.
Youth apprenticeships (opens external site)More
An internship can lead into an apprenticeship with the same employer, and the funding is built to stack that way rather than being a single one-off. The employer can draw the apprenticeship grant after the internship funding, which is what makes the combined figure at the end of the route possible.
A qualification
Higher Technical Qualifications, typically Level 4 and 5 HNCs and HNDs.
Technical Qualification grants (opens external site)More
The Higher Technical Qualification grant applies to a new hire or an existing employee under 21, enrolled within nine months of employment. It is the last of the three stacking grants, and it is about the qualification rather than the job itself — so it can follow someone who is already in post.
If you're looking for a place
Start here
These are paid roles, not unpaid work experience, and they are not internships in the traditional sense — they run across any sector, level and job type. You do not need a degree, and there is no upper age limit.
- Live in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough.
- Not currently in education, employment or training.
- Have the right to work in the UK.
- Aged 18 or over — there is no upper age limit.
- Eligibility is assessed on and before the day the internship starts.
Not ready for a placement yet? Personal support from CPCA (opens external site)
If you're an employer
Bring someone in
The CPCA Employment and Skills Team offers funded support to recruit, retain and develop staff. The internship schemes are their most popular offer, and the salary cost can be fully covered.
Complete a Training Needs Analysis
A short form, around fifteen minutes.
Start the Training Needs Analysis (opens external site)Join an employer briefing
An online Skills for Growth and internships briefing, where you can ask questions. It covers the commitment and administration involved, the funding and how to apply, and the support available for recruitment, retention and upskilling.
Book an employer briefing (opens external site)Receive recommendations and apply
After the session CPCA send their recommendations and the link to apply for internship funding.
Internships for employers (opens external site)
02 — The internship schemes
Three ways it can run
Employers pick the shape that suits the role. Every option is paid at least the National Minimum or Living Wage, and every one comes with a weekly subsidy on top of the salary funding.
The amounts below are CPCA's indicative maximums, not quotations. What an employer actually receives depends on the hours worked and the applicable wage rate, and the figures are CPCA's as supplied in August 2026.
18–21
12-Week Growth
£2,553.00 – £2,887.80
maximum funding per intern
- Salary funding
- 50% match funded, at National Minimum / Living Wage
- Weekly subsidy
- £50 per week
- Hours
- 8–30 hours per week
- Best for
- Long-term development
22+ (no upper age limit)
6-Week Forging Futures
£3,497.88
maximum funding per intern
- Salary funding
- 100% funded, at National Living Wage
- Weekly subsidy
- £100 per week
- Hours
- 12–38 hours per week
- Best for
- Mature talent and career changers
03 — Grants that stack
One opportunity, several pots of funding
These do not have to be used one at a time. An employer can fund a paid internship first, then take the same young person on as an apprentice and draw the grants below on top — building one supported route into work rather than a series of separate steps.
Up to £4,000
Apprenticeship age grant
For SMEs within the CPCA area taking on an apprentice aged 16–24. This is on top of the government grant, which CPCA put at £1,000, rising to £2,000 from October 2026 — check the current figure with CPCA.
Youth apprenticeship grants (opens external site)£2,000
Higher Technical Qualification grant
Per new hire or existing employee under 21, enrolled within nine months of employment. Typically Level 4 and 5 HNCs and HNDs.
Technical Qualification grants (opens external site)In some cases employers may be able to access combined support of almost £10,000 towards creating a new opportunity for a young person.
Apprenticeship support for employers
The CPCA team also helps organisations find the right training and providers, understand the standards and process, and reach the levy share pool and other grants.
- Small employers can have between 95% and 100% of apprenticeship training costs funded, for all ages.
- Levy transfer through the CPCA levy share service can remove the 5% employer contribution.
- No employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25.
- Training costs for eligible apprentices aged 16–24 are fully funded.
- Large employers can use their levy, or share excess funds with smaller organisations through CPCA.
04 — Youth Guarantee Trailblazer
Support near you
29 organisations deliver free support through the CPCA's Youth Guarantee Trailblazer — careers guidance, confidence, tasters, coaching and courses — and much of it is in Huntingdon. Choose a town to see who is there.
Innovation Forum is independent of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. We are promoting support the CPCA funds. Details are from its The Future Workforce — Year 2 Youth Trailblazer Service Book (Year 2, version 4 (August 2026)); the current version, and referrals, are on cpcaskills.com/youth-trailblazer.
- £4,000Apprenticeship grantFor SMEs in the CPCA area, per apprentice aged 16–24 — on top of the government grant (£1,000, rising to £2,000 from October 2026).Details on cpcaskills.com
- 100%Salary for six weeksInternships of 8–30 hours a week with the salary covered at the National Minimum or Living Wage.Details on cpcaskills.com
- £2,000Higher Technical Qualification grantPer new hire or existing employee under 21, enrolled within nine months — typically HNCs and HNDs.Details on cpcaskills.com
- ≈ £10,000Combined supportStack an internship, an apprenticeship and the grants, and one opportunity can draw almost £10,000.Details on cpcaskills.com
Amounts are CPCA's indicative figures, not quotations. CPCA's documents describe the internship age bands slightly differently (the Year 2 Service Book says 18–24; the schemes above split 18–21 and 22+), so CPCA confirms which scheme applies.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024. Source: ONS, Open Government Licence v3.0.
All of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
Every programme
30 programmes
All programmes
Anglia Ruskin UniversityCourses & programmes · Taster & experience days
Four-week programme: classroom sessions on the ARU Peterborough campus plus weekly visits to local employers such as Weetabix, Caterpillar Perkins and Burmor Construction.
ARU Peterborough (opens external site)Cambridge Acorn Project1-to-1 support · For specific groups
Therapeutic support and education for young people out of mainstream education who have experienced trauma, helping them towards qualifications, volunteering or work.
Cambridge Acorn Project website (opens external site)Centre 331-to-1 support · For specific groups
Free 1-to-1 support and youth-friendly drop-in hubs open six days a week, with a priority focus on young adult carers. Self-referral welcome.
Centre 33 website (opens external site)Constructed PathwaysTaster & experience days
Two-day practical construction tasters in brickwork or scaffolding. Referral only, for registered Youth Guarantee participants; transport support available.
Constructed Pathways website (opens external site)Cross Keys HomesCourses & programmes
Two-week employability programme, a four-week outdoor environmental programme with Nene Park Rangers, Froglife and the CKH Community Garden, plus a jobs fair and youth employability conferences.
Cross Keys Homes website (opens external site)Curiously Divergent1-to-1 support · For specific groups
Specialist 1-to-1 and small-group support helping neurodivergent young people into education, employment and training.
Curiously Divergent website (opens external site)Form the Future1-to-1 support · Online
Personal careers guidance, coaching and action planning from Level 6 qualified careers professionals — the progression gateway that refers on into other support.
Form the Future website (opens external site)Game AcademyOnline · Courses & programmes
Online programme for video game players: turn in-game skills into digital, technical and creative career pathways through "main quests" and "side quests".
Game Academy website (opens external site)Groundwork EastCourses & programmes · For specific groups
Three-day nature-based courses building confidence, resilience and work-readiness — for young people with low-level anxiety or depression, low confidence or school avoidance.
Groundwork East website (opens external site)Inspire 2 Ignite1-to-1 support · Taster & experience days
A dedicated Youth Progression Coordinator, employer-led industry experience days and hospitality experiences, building a personal Youth Guarantee pathway.
Inspire 2 Ignite website (opens external site)Inspire Education Group · Community NavigatorsFor organisations
Trains staff and volunteers in grassroots community settings to give young people information, advice and guidance.
Community Navigator Project (opens external site)Noise Solution1-to-1 support · Courses & programmes
10-week, 1-to-1 music mentoring — two hours a week, at home or in the studio — with family and professionals kept involved.
Noise Solution website (opens external site)Romsey Mill1-to-1 support · For specific groups · Courses & programmes
Young parents: 1-to-1 support and courses with an on-site crèche, plus pilot support for young dads.
Romsey Mill website (opens external site)Sports Connection Foundation · Inspire Through Sport1-to-1 support · Courses & programmes
Youth work connectors offering outreach, 1-to-1 mentoring, small-group sessions, accredited courses and personal progression plans.
Sports Connection Foundation website (opens external site)Support CambridgeshireFor organisations
Helps voluntary and community organisations take on volunteers aged 16–25. Works with organisations, not directly with young people.
Support Cambridgeshire website (opens external site)Tech Educators · Tech FrontiersTaster & experience days
Small teams tackle a real frontier-technology problem co-designed with employers, using AI, cloud, software and data.
Tech Educators website (opens external site)The Salvation Army1-to-1 support
A dedicated Employability Practitioner: 1-to-1 coaching, careers guidance, CV and interview support, employer contact and wellbeing guidance.
The Salvation Army website (opens external site)Turtle Dove CambridgeCourses & programmes · For specific groups
Events and catering social enterprise giving young women practical experience and skills towards education, training or work.
Turtle Dove Cambridge website (opens external site)Team VIYCourses & programmes
Learn construction skills and earn City & Guilds / NOCN Entry Level 3 qualifications while refurbishing local community spaces, with 1-to-1 mentoring.
Volunteer It Yourself (opens external site)YTKOCourses & programmes · 1-to-1 support
Explore enterprise as a career: workshops on finance, marketing, social media and business strategy, with 1-to-1 coaching between sessions.
YTKO website (opens external site)Peterborough City Council1-to-1 support · Online
Personal signposting and wrap-around support back into education, employment or training, with ongoing follow-up.
Details and referral via CPCA (opens external site)Cambridgeshire County Council · Youth Progression Service1-to-1 support
1-to-1 support to overcome barriers and move smoothly into education, employment or training.
Youth Progression Service (opens external site)Reed in Partnership1-to-1 support · Courses & programmes
12-week programme with a dedicated Employment Coach: CV building, job search, interview skills, an online careers centre and links to vacancies, internships and apprenticeships.
Reed in Partnership website (opens external site)Peterborough United Foundation · Peterborough Youth Hub1-to-1 support
The multi-agency front door, with CPCA, Jobcentre Plus and CPSL Mind: employment, skills, housing, money and wellbeing help in one place.
Youth Employment Hub (opens external site)EDTOnline · 1-to-1 support
Apprenticeship-focused guidance: labour market information packs, vacancy search, application support and the "CiCi" AI careers chatbot.
EDT website (opens external site)Youth Employment UKOnline · Courses & programmes
Short online courses (about an hour each) exploring local career pathways and job sectors, with a workbook and videos.
Explore careers in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough (opens external site)Cambridgeshire County Council · Youth Impact Programme1-to-1 support · Courses & programmes
Trauma-informed group sessions, community experiences, residentials and 1-to-1 progression support.
Details and referral via CPCA (opens external site)ApprentagoOnline
Free platform to discover, prepare for and apply for apprenticeships, with CV and interview help and application tracking.
Apprentago website (opens external site)CPCA SkillsOnline
Browse live apprenticeship vacancies and register interest in internships across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Young careers on cpcaskills.com (opens external site)CPSL Mind1-to-1 support · For specific groups
Free 1-to-1 support for mental wellbeing and confidence while you work out your next step.
CPSL Mind website (opens external site)
Nothing of that type here — try another filter, or Online.
Getting referred. Most support takes a referral, and some is referral-only. CPCA's page lists every provider's current referral route.
05 — Before you count on it
The detail is CPCA's
Most Youth Guarantee provision is for 16–21-year-olds, and up to 25 for those with an EHCP or SEND. Providers and venues change during the year, so CPCA's page is always the current copy.