Apprenticeships, Skills & Training


Feature


The multi-million pound apprenticeship drop


By Neville Algar (pictured), head of employer engagement, OTD.


levy funds ‘expiring’ last August alone. Worse still, many are set to lose similar amounts this


I


year, with unspent levy funds expiring 24 months after they appear in an employer’s account. The CBI claim that some 26 per cent of levy-paying


organisations treat their levy as a tax. It’s why, more than two years after the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, there is still a significant number of employers who have not taken advantage of their apprenticeship levy funds. The big question is, why, especially when budgetary


restraints are one of the biggest challenges faced by learning and development (L&D) managers? In our


magine losing more than £96m in just two months. That’s what happened to some of the UK’s largest employers in 2019, with £52m of apprenticeship


experience it’s often down to two primary factors: awareness and perception. In some businesses the apprenticeship levy is perceived


to be a purely financial issue. The respective finance and L&D functions fail to communicate effectively and the business simply adjusts to the loss incurred without an understanding of how to utilise the fund. In others, apprenticeships are viewed as a laborious


and limited form of youth recruitment: ‘if this is just about taking young people on, I haven’t got time.’ The perception couldn’t be further from reality.


Today’s apprenticeships are much more robust in terms of sectors, industry and job role coverage than they have ever been. And of course, anyone can start an apprenticeship at any point in their life, whatever their age, background or career level.


February 2020 CHAMBERLINK 75


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