Nine months and counting… the Apprenticeship Levy is still set for April 2017
Members of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce (CWCC) learned about the impending Levy at a breakfast briefing on learning and skills development organised jointly by CWCC and Coventry University at the University’s Techno Centre.
Claire Buckland, Head of Uni@Work and CU Group’s Apprenticeship Ambassador, brought them up to speed – though the fine details of the Levy have not yet been disclosed. A planned announcement by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) scheduled for June was delayed, likely due to the closure of BIS in favour of the new Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the transfer of responsibility for apprenticeships to the Department for Education. Further announcements were scheduled for October and December this year, and are still planned to take place, according to the gov.uk website.
There has been no suggestion that the Levy itself will be delayed by the changes. Although it applies to only around 2 per cent of employers – those who have a pay bill of over £3 million – there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers. When they have paid the Levy to HMRC, large employers will be able to access funding for apprenticeships through a new digital apprenticeship service account.
Those with a pay bill of under £3 million will continue to have access to government funding to support apprenticeships. Currently most non-Levy paying employers pay one-third of training costs, with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) covering the rest. It is possible that this government funding will be increased.
For all employers, whether or not they are required to pay the Levy, the new digital apprenticeship service will provide help in choosing a training provider and assessor, selecting an apprenticeship standard and advertising apprenticeship vacancies.
Uni@Work is continuing to develop more Degree and Higher Apprenticeships for delivery on employers’ own premises, in partnership with the Skills Funding Agency. Programmes are tailored to the individual business needs of the employer, as well as to the learning preferences of their staff.
Current Degree and Higher Apprenticeships on offer include:
- Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (Chartered Management Institute)
- Automotive Engineering Higher Apprenticeship
- Law Higher Apprenticeship (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives)
- IT (Digital Skills and Technology) Higher Apprenticeship
For more information about Higher and Degree level education in the workplace, including Apprenticeships, and the Apprenticeship Levy, please contact Uni@Work.