There has been much noise over the last 10 days about the Apprenticeship Levy but above telling us what % it will be (0.5%) and the size of employer (>£3m payroll), very little detail on how it will work has actually been announced. A publication released by the government this week 'English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision' has simply stated that further announcements would be made before the summer of 2016.
Of note in the release was the opportunity for employers to get involved in the new Digital Apprenticeship Service which will be the mechanism with which all employers (regardless of whether you pay the levy or not) choose and pay for their Apprenticeship training. The government has stated that they want to work closely with employers and providers in the development of this new service and have suggested that anybody interested in getting involved should email DAS@bis.gsi.gov.uk.
Kaplan would encourage employers of all sizes to consider registering their interest to be involved in this new service. It is clear that the government is looking to consider employer views and this is an ideal opportunity to have a say.
Other key points arising from the publication were:
- Publication from Summer 2016 of the Top 100 Apprenticeship employers to highlight those employers that are rated most highly by their apprentices
- Extension of the Apprenticeship Grant for employers until the end of 2016/17 school year
- The publication of a strategy for improved careers provision for young people in early 2016
- Plans in place to work with UCAS to enable school leavers to gain information and apply for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships
- Relaxing of rule to switch off all old Apprenticeship frameworks by 2017/18 to enable employers to transition to the new standards and spend their levy money effectively
If you would like to read the publication in full please download the PDF: English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision
Kaplan is committed to providing you with the key information relevant to help you plan for and make sense of all the upcoming changes in the Apprenticeship space. If you would like to discuss anything in this article or Apprenticeships in general, please contact our Head of Accountancy Apprenticeships, Cassandra Macdonald on cassandra.macdonald@kaplan.co.uk.
For further information on apprenticeships visit www.kaplan.co.uk/smarter.