The Apprenticeship Levy has arrived

13 April, 2017

• The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) should set long-term measures of success, agreed in partnership with businesses.

• Providing more commercially-focused resource and support to the IfA, to help understand what quality training looks like for business and why they chose to invest.

• The IfA should work with businesses to help improve market regulation of college and private providers and challenge poor quality provision.

• Focus must be given to increasing the pace of approval of new apprenticeship standards across all industries.

• The Government should give employers longer than 24 months to spend their Levy vouchers, if current issues remain unresolved in the first year.

• Over the longer-term, the Government should consider a more flexible Skills Levy, to not only support apprentices but also retraining for adults.

The Apprenticeship Levy certainly has the best interests of businesses at heart. However, it is understandable that valid concerns remain at this early stage of implementation. New apprenticeship standards need to be approved and apprenticeship choices need to be discussed in detail as part of career guidance in schools. Let’s hope and trust that as the Levy finds its feet over the next few months genuine benefits will begin to be enjoyed by companies and apprentices alike.

Ed Holden

Editor