The Analysis CSA
Maximising the opportunity of apprenticeships
Despite gloomy figures on the take up of apprenticeships, there are still grounds for hope
Fiona Macaskill Head of learning and development, Credit Services Association
fiona.macaskill@
csa-uk.com
The fanfare arrival of the government’s campaign and incentive to create thousands of apprenticeships nationwide is in serious danger of fading to a muted squeak, if the latest reports are to be believed. And that means a seriously wasted opportunity for all of us working in the credit industry. Last month the Association of Employment
and Learning Providers (AELP) put in a freedom of information request to discover that £1.28bn of the £1.39bn paid by levy- paying employers is currently sitting unused. The AELP’s chief executive and policy director both expressed dismay at the calls from employment organisations, such as the CBI, that the government should relax the levy and dilute it into more general skills training. The AELP is an unequivocal supporter of
the levy and believes that, for the foreseeable future, it should be ring-fenced to fund only apprenticeships. Its leaders are also exasperated by misleading media coverage given to the subject, and say the levy could be a genuine ‘game changer’ in improving productivity, social mobility, and quality. In this, we agree.
different industries, such as insurance, food and beverage, and the public sector. There was also more good news recently
with the welcome announcement, from the Department for Education, that businesses are being allowed to share a proportion of their levy funding with another company. This is something we would actively and urgently encourage our members, and the wider industry, to consider. Within the field of debt collection and
apprenticeships nationwide is in serious danger of fading to a muted squeak
campaign and incentive to create
The of
the thousands
government’s of
Disappointing numbers The start numbers have been disappointing. As I write, whilst we are having some great conversations with members, unfortunately, at this first anniversary of the levy, the first has yet to sign up to a CSA Member Apprenticeship scheme. It may be the investment has been made with other providers, but, even if that is the case, then the numbers are still small. Given the size of our membership, and those who qualify for the levy, we estimate more than £1m is leaking from our industry. Amidst all of this, however, is some positive news regarding what
those outside of our industry are doing. Whereas CSA Member Apprenticeships may not have yet had the traction we anticipated within credit services, others have been quicker to recognise the value they can deliver. We now have more than 20 firms signed up to our apprenticeships, coming from ‘big brand’ names across
May 2018 fanfare arrival
consumer credit, a number of specific apprenticeship standards have been created that are being offered and supported by the CSA. These range from the new standard in credit control through to the most advanced
Senior Compliance/Risk
Specialist Apprenticeship standard, and every point in between.
Levy sharing From this month, all levy-paying firms will be able to share up to 10% of their levy with one other company or organisation of their choosing. This could be in support of their
supply chain – for example, it could be a debt buyer supporting a panel member – or to support their wider corporate social responsibility agenda, enabling apprenticeship opportunities for other businesses and individuals who might not otherwise be funded. Whether you are a levy-paying business who is not able to spend
all your levy, or a non-paying business who wishes to join a CSA Member Apprenticeship programme, we believe this is good news for our industry. What is particularly exciting is that any non-levy- paying firm, which accesses apprenticeship funding this way, will then not be required to pay a 10% contribution, which means a ‘win- win’ for all parties concerned. It will be interesting to see how this news is received, and whether
it will act as a catalyst for those who have yet to embrace the apprenticeships’ initiative to finally take action. If it does, then we are well placed to support them. CCR
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