Feature


Apprenticeships, Skills & Training


contribute 0.5 per cent of their pay bill into a fund each month, which can be reinvested in apprenticeship training for your business.


FIVE apprenticeship levy myths: 1


your needs. Funding follows employer choice, meaning learning providers must be responsive to what your business needs.


2 3 4 5


We believe that to get the most from the levy, employers need to challenge existing misconceptions of what an apprenticeship is and the role it can perform for their business. In a fast-paced digital age where technology, among other influencers, changes the face of industries and sectors almost overnight, apprenticeships are no longer centred on the attainment of a single set of skills early in working life, for a job role or industry that will last for life. Instead, apprenticeships should be seen as a flexible ‘here and now’


development, both continual and relevant to any stage of an employee’s career. Far from a financial burden, the levy provides employers with a golden opportunity to equip their workforce with the knowledge, skills and


ACH (Ashley Community Housing) was established in 2008 as a social enterprise specialising in the economic, social and civic integration of refugees through accommodation and community-based training support.


Starting in the West of England and expanding to the West Midlands with a brand new office in Birmingham’s Cobalt Square. We employ over 70 staff nationwide and have successfully resettled over 3000 individuals from refugee backgrounds. We deliver services in cities including Bristol, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and offer advice and assistance across the UK and beyond.


Ashley Community Housing 8th Floor • Cobalt Square • Hagley Road Birmingham • B16 8QG


T: 0121 565 3384 W: www.ach.org.uk


76 CHAMBERLINK February 2020 Refugee


Integration & Employment Services


Levy paying employers must hire more apprentices. You don’t have to reinvest levy payments, but you may be losing out if you


don’t. Some employers see the levy as a payroll tax and are forgoing access to a pot of money and new talent as a result.


The levy can’t be used to train existing employees. You can use the levy to upskill and re-skill your existing workforce with


multiple options available, including higher or degree-level apprenticeships.


The apprenticeship levy has no benefits. There have been more than 1.2 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and the


Government remains committed to reaching three million in England this year.


The levy gives employers less control over training. The levy makes it easy for you to choose apprenticeship training to suit


All businesses must pay the apprenticeship levy. Only employers that pay more than £3m in wages per annum are liable to


behaviours to meet business needs, enabling organisations to embrace changes in their operational practices. We work with employers that have identified a whole tier of middle and


lower-level management positions who have since benefited from the introduction of a flexible, robust and holistic apprenticeship programme. Take the ‘team leader or supervisor’, promoted due to their exceptional


customer service skills and asked to manage a small team for the first time, but never previously given access to a formal and structured leadership and management programme to develop their skills. Evidence shows that if you invest in them and give them a qualification they don’t have, they’ll stay with your business for years to come. And they’ll be more productive too. We call this ‘stickability’. Successfully transferring those newly acquired


skills and competencies into the workplace leads to measurable performance improvements and adds significant value to the organisation. We’ve found that it also frees L&D functions to invest a larger proportion


of their non-levy budget on complementary leadership and development initiatives - from storytelling and presentation skills to emotional resilience and wellbeing - that continue to embed business improvements long after the apprenticeship has ‘finished’. The clock is ticking. Maybe it’s time to check what funds are sitting in


your digital apprenticeship service account? For more information visit accounts.manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk


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