Been furloughed? Fancy becoming a customs agent? The @michaelgove needs you (desperately). Here’s how your business can get a grant: £3k for recruitment up to £12k for wages. Only one prob. Individuals can’t apply - which is puzzling 1/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/grants-for-businesses-that-complete-customs-declarations https://twitter.com/pmdfoster/status/1288384755730395136

@HMRCgovuk has decided that only businesses employing people can access the £50m grant scheme - but these are EXACTLY the businesses who are reluctant to expand/invest at a time of #brexit talk uncertainty and #COVID19 cashflow crunches./2

HMRC, I understand, argues that only employers taking on new recruits or training up staff internally are adding to capacity - but this misses fact that biz isn't in the mood to take on untrained people at the moment /3

But someone just laid off by Coronavirus might well avail themselves of a £1,500 grant to train at @BIFA or UK Customs Academy (online).. see here. /4 https://www.ukcustomsacademy.co.uk/ 

The issue here is that government incentives (go on a hiring spree!!!!) and industry incentives (I'll wait and see, thanks, still getting over Coronavirus) are not aligned.

Empowering individuals to train up for new jobs must make sense. ENDS