Apprenticeship Levy Countdown… 6 months to go!
Uni@Work’s monthly Apprenticeship Levy update
Are you Levy ready?
Further details are yet to be released, but what is certain is that the Apprenticeship Levy will commence on 6 April 2017, and that all employers operating in the UK with a pay bill of over £3m a year will be charged 0.5% of their annual pay bill to support apprenticeships.
This money, plus a 10% top-up paid by the government, can be claimed back by employers to pay for their own apprenticeships. However, they only have 18 months in which to do this, so it is better to make plans in advance, rather than “wait and see” – or your business could lose out.
Employers who don’t pay the Levy will still be able to access funds to help pay for apprenticeships.
Uni@Work is well placed to advise on how to get the best from the Levy, as Head of Uni@Work Claire Buckland is Coventry University Group’s Apprenticeship Ambassador. Claire is also a member of the Trailblazer group for the first Master’s Level Apprenticeship in management.
Latest Levy news:
- The government’s consultation on apprenticeship funding and the proposed Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers closed on 5 September.
- The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has revealed that employers using Levy funding for Apprenticeships will be required to sign a formal agreement with the SFA, as well as with their chosen Apprenticeship provider. (source: FE week)
- A further update on the details of how the Apprenticeship Levy will work is expected this month, although no date has yet been given for the announcement. Another announcement is scheduled for December – again, the exact date for this has not been made public. Existing government guidance on the Levy can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Contact Uni@Work for more information about the Apprenticeship Levy and Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.
Uni@Work provides Higher and Degree-level education, including Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, completely in the workplace. Programmes are tailored to the unique business needs of employers and learning preferences of employees.