Rachel O’Connor’s Post

📣The Institute For Fiscal Studies has published a Nuffield-funded analysis of the proposed changes to the Apprenticeship Levy. Christine Farquharson, Luke Sibieta and Imran Tahir explain how broadening the Apprenticeship Levy into a ‘Growth and Skills’ Levy might affect employers and young people. 📖 Read now: https://lnkd.in/e6tk3yN3

The upcoming 2024 election could bring major changes to the apprenticeship levy as we know it! With The Labour Party pledging increased flexibility for businesses, what does this mean for your organisation's learning and development strategy? 🗳️ Jo Bishenden, our Managing Director for Apprenticeships, explores the proposed "Growth and Skills Levy" reform and its potential impact in her latest blog post. Discover how this shift could unlock new opportunities for funded learning and skills development across your workforce. 🌟 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eyjpM7su #ThinkingAhead #LevyTransformation #GrowthandSkillsLevy

At the Labour Party Conference, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled bold new apprenticeship reforms, including the introduction of Foundation Apprenticeships aimed at supporting young people. These reforms are designed to revolutionise youth employment while offering businesses more flexibility in their apprenticeship funding. Key Highlights from the conference regarding skills & education: ➡️ Foundation Apprenticeships: A new pathway to help young people gain vital skills and enter critical sectors. ➡️ Youth Guarantee: A promise to eradicate youth unemployment once and for all. ➡️ Growth and Skills Levy: Replacing the current apprenticeship levy, it offers more flexibility for employers to fund apprenticeships, with a focus on younger workers. ➡️ The Issue: Apprenticeship starts have been declining for entry-level roles, while visa applications for the same skills have increased, creating a mismatch in the workforce. The Skills England report highlights that 1 in 10 UK roles are in critical demand, emphasising the urgency for reform. ➡️ More Flexibility for Businesses: Shorter apprenticeships will be introduced to give employers and learners more control over their training. Levy funding will shift towards younger workers, with Level 7 Apprenticeships (master’s degree equivalent) being self-funded by businesses. 🗣️ Sector reactions to the changes: Stephen Evans, CEO of Learning and Work Institute, stated: "Reforming the apprenticeship levy should be part of tackling our perennial underinvestment in skills. Redirecting investment into younger workers is a crucial step forward." David Hughes, CEO of the Association of Colleges, welcomed the changes: "Reform of the apprenticeship levy is long overdue. Focusing levy funds on young people and priority sectors like construction, digital, and green skills is a critical move." ➡️ Next Steps: The Department for Education will soon outline how businesses and learners can access these new apprenticeships, while Skills England will continue to shape the training landscape to meet future workforce demands. 💬 What do you think? Could these new Foundation Apprenticeships change the game for youth employment and business flexibility? Read the full article on FE News here: https://lnkd.in/gNXUJfJm #earnandlearn #apprenticeships #skills

The upcoming 2024 election could bring significant changes to the apprenticeship levy, with the The Labour Party pledging increased flexibility for businesses. But what does this mean for your organisation's learning and development strategy? 🗳 Jo Bishenden, our Managing Director for Apprenticeships, delves into the proposed "growth and skills levy" reform and its potential impact in her latest blog post. Discover how this shift could unlock new opportunities for funded learning and skills development across your workforce. 🔗 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eyjpM7su #apprenticeships #levy #election #skillsdevelopment #labourparty

Latest from FE News: Why an Overhaul of the Apprenticeship Levy is both Necessary and Urgent: Over 43% of young people in the UK looking for work do not feel that their education has equipped them with the skills needed to… Why an Overhaul of the Apprenticeship Levy is both Necessary and Urgent was published on FE News by ash-ramrachia #SkillsandApprenticeshipsNewsandInsights Read more here:

🔍 Industry Leaders discuss the new Labour government’s skills policy, and their new plans for the skills levy : 🎓 Gareth John (First Intuition): Hosted discussion on making apprenticeships more accessible 👩💼 Jane Gratton (British Chambers of Commerce): Calls for pre-apprenticeships & flexible learning 💡 Simon Ashworth (AELP): Highlights the need for program & funding flexibility 🏭 Faye Skelton (Make UK): Concerns about manufacturing apprenticeship decline 🏪 Paul Wilson (Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): Emphasises the importance of SME apprenticeship funding 💼 Robert West (CBI (Confederation of British Industry): Raises issue of funding bands not matching inflation 🤔 What changes do you think are most crucial for the new skills levy? Read their full article here: https://lnkd.in/eqMTW7xh #SkillsLevy #Apprenticeships #Education

📰 News from this morning: The government plans to scrap SME co-investment payment for apprentices under the age of 22 — and increase the amount of funding that can be transferred from apprenticeship levy-payers to other businesses from 25% to 50%. This is in an effort to increase government funding for apprenticeships. A summary of the article: - The government plans to scrap co-investment payments for SME apprentices under 22. - Funding transfer limit from apprenticeship levy-payers to other businesses will increase from 25% to 50%. - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expects these reforms to generate £60 million in additional government funding and create 20,000 more apprenticeships. - Changes respond to declining apprenticeship numbers in SMEs and aim to provide more opportunities for young people. - The apprenticeship budget is set to exceed £2.7 billion in 2024-25, with funds being redistributed to support these initiatives. Read here: https://lnkd.in/emCTSZ5G #earlycareers #apprenticeships #news

Is good news on the horizon for UK businesses? Billions of pounds sit in the Apprenticeship Levy pot untouched while businesses are crying out for funding to upskill their workers. If today's speech can be taken in verbatim, then employers will be able to utilise 50% of their Levy contribution on non-apprenticeship schemes. As a big advocate of apprenticeships, I can only hope that this reform will provide more inclusive opportunities and businesses the opportunity to bridge skills-gaps. Watch this space though, there is no mention of accessibility to non-levy payers or what is deemed as 'eligible' training. https://lnkd.in/ej_phBZJ #Training #Apprenticeships #Levy #SkillsGap

Youth Apprenticeships and the Case for a Flexible Skills Levy "In its current form, the Apprenticeship Levy is not working." So concludes a new CIPD report. I like the ideas in the CIPD report on reforms to the UK's Apprenticeship Levy, moving it closer to Ireland's wider National Training Fund - ring-fencing some funds for actual apprenticeships (as opposed to training that is badged 'apprenticeship' in order to use the funds) for younger people AND ensuring other monies can be used for flexible life-long learning purposes makes sense. What doesn't make current sense and won't make any sense in the future is not allowing employers in NI full access to the training levy funds for training, regardless of how it is structured. Nonetheless, there's a lot of clever thinking and clear evidence for reform set out in the CIPD's report. Recommended reading for policy makers everywhere: https://lnkd.in/e6Xe5RxW