REGULAR
A step in the right direction
Delia Cannings, Chair of the British Cleaning Council, says that the new Growth and Skills Levy is a welcome change.
I was very encouraged to hear the recent announcement that a new Growth and Skills Levy will replace the existing Apprenticeship Levy.
The new levy will allow funding for shorter apprenticeships, giving learners and employers greater flexibility over their training than under the existing system – where apprenticeships must run for at least 12 months.
The training eligible for funding under the new levy will be developed over time, informed by Skills England’s assessment of priority skills needs. Further details on the scope of the offer and how it will be accessed will be announced in the future, after consultation with the business sector.
I'm not aware of a launch date for the scheme and, of course, we will have to see what the final scheme looks like, but I believe the new Growth and Skills Levy could be a big step in the right direction.
It is hugely positive that the new Government has acted so quickly on this issue and is focusing so intently on improving skills and boosting growth. The first report from Skills England, the government’s new body for the skills system, published at the same time as the announcement of the Apprenticeship Levy revamp, highlighted the issues the nation has with apprenticeships and investment in skills generally.
The report found that UK employer investment in training has been in steady decline over the past decade, with training expenditure at its lowest level since records began in 2011 and investment per employee down by 19% in real terms. That this has happened despite the launch of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 demonstrates what we who work in business already know – the Levy system does not work.
The idea was that businesses would be spurred to introduce apprenticeships in their workplaces because they could fund them using compulsory Levy payments which would
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otherwise go to the Government. Instead, £3.3bn in UK Apprenticeship Levy funds went unspent between 2019 and 2022. That sum included millions of pounds in Levy funds paid by the cleaning and hygiene sector annually.
The UK has been left with a huge skills gap. The Skills England report showed that, nationwide, almost one in 10, or over 2.5m roles, are in critical demand, with more than 90% being in roles that require training or education. The obvious conclusion is that apprenticeships and the Levy are simply not fit for purpose, leaving workers, businesses and the UK economy to pay the price.
The launch of the Level 2 Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship earlier this year was a big step forward for our sector, potentially unlocking millions of pounds a year for staff training in the industry. It offers a way for industry businesses both large and small to invest in their staff using Levy funds, providing employees an opportunity to access a recognised work-related cleaning qualification. Please visit here to find out more.
However, take up of the apprenticeship has been slower than we would have liked. The truth is that one size does not fit all. We at the BCC were hugely involved in the development and support of the apprenticeship, endeavouring to make it fit for purpose. We were limited in design and scope due to the rigidity of the Institute for Apprenticeships and imposed restrictions.
This latest news will enable a more flexible approach to education and training which is focused on developing skill sets, to support life-long learning and widening participation and growth. The Government has said it will design the new system in consultation with the business sector.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
http://www.eida.org/membership
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