The St Martin's Group’s Post

Wondering what the new government is doing to boost opportunities for young people? ✅ New growth and skills levy which will replace the existing apprenticeship levy and include new foundation apprenticeships. ✅ These new apprenticeships will give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage whilst developing vital skills. ✅ The new levy will also 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. Lots of work to do, what do you think about the reforms? #apprenticeships #earlycareers

🚨 Government overhauls apprenticeships to boost opportunities for young people. Today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced major reforms to the apprenticeship system in England. The new Growth and Skills Levy will replace the current apprenticeship levy, introducing foundation apprenticeships and more flexible, shorter apprenticeships. ✨ Key Highlights: 📚 New foundation apprenticeships in critical sectors. 🔄 Flexible, shorter apprenticeships for young people. 💼 Employers to invest more in younger workers. 📊 Skills England report identifies urgent training needs in health, education and tech. These changes aim to bridge the gap between skills shortages and career opportunities, helping to build the future workforce 💪. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eS2waCad #Apprenticeships #SkillsDevelopment #GrowthAndSkillsLevy #FutureOfWork #UKSkills 🌍🎓

The Prime Minister announced today the government's intent to restrict levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships in favour of supporting lower-level apprenticeships. This decision reflects a shift in focus toward widening access to skills development for those who are starting their careers. However, there may be concerns from employers and professionals who see value in higher-level apprenticeships for leadership and specialised roles. While it's a relief that Level 6 programs remain safe for now, the decision may prompt further discussion on balancing workforce development needs across all skill levels. The impact on industries relying on advanced apprenticeships will be important to monitor as Skills England finalises its decisions. #degreeapprenticeships #apprenticeships #skillsengland

We didn’t get the full confirmation we were hoping for on how the Growth and Skills Levy will handle level 7 apprenticeships. However, there are still some key takeaways to note: - The new levy will offer greater flexibility, allowing employers to spend up to 50% on non-apprenticeship training. This could impact funding for higher-level apprenticeships, like level 7, which are costlier to deliver. - There’s a strong focus on creating shorter apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships, especially for younger workers, to address critical skills gaps. - Skills England will play a key role in identifying future training needs, and further details on which programs will be eligible for funding are expected soon. https://lnkd.in/ejuJYtuE?

Brilliant to hear Sir Keir Starmer announce the introduction of new foundation #apprenticeships at The Labour Party Conference this week, with a new growth and skills levy set to allow funding for shorter apprenticeships. This is a huge step forward, granting greater flexibility for employers and apprentices over training. This change would go some way to acknowledge that not all individuals are sufficiently work-ready to undertake apprenticeships, and many would benefit from additional support and training to ensure they have the best chances of thriving in the world of work. Marginalised groups, including disadvantaged young people, ex-offenders and care leavers, can bring tremendous benefits to businesses such as increased retention, resilience and performance - but often face additional challenges undertaking and completing apprenticeships, whether due to social, economic, cultural or other barriers. We welcome this addition to the apprenticeship system, which strongly reflects the proposal we put forward in our #GoodBusinessManifesto earlier this year to launch a short apprenticeship-ready scheme to help provide more young and marginalised people with pathways into work. Read our #GoodBusinessManifesto here: https://lnkd.in/eiV4Tree Read more about apprenticeship system reforms here: https://lnkd.in/eB4yrXjh #Apprenticeships #NationalInclusionWeek #DiversityandInclusion #InclusiveRecruitment

Can't argue with where the government has placed its apprenticeships focus in the announcement about the growth and skills levy this afternoon. Flexibility - as long as quality is maintained - is welcome, as is the emphasis on opportunities for younger people. Think it's important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater on L7 apprenticeships; need to make sure those that already deliver on the Skills England-identified priority areas are still fundable and attractive to employers.

CHANGES ON THE HORIZON TO THE UK APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM ... ➡ NEW GROWTH AND SKILLS LEVY (TO REPLACE EXISTING APPRENTICESHIP LEVY): The changes to the levy will allow funding for shorter apprenticeships and further 'foundation' level apprenticeships. ➡ LEVEL 7 APPRENTICESHIPS (MASTER'S DEGREE EQUIVALENT) TO REQUIRE FUNDING OUTSIDE THE LEVY: With the focus on boosting the opportunities for young people to enter the professional world, 'level 7 apprenticeships' are likely to need funding outside of the apprenticeship levy. 🎙 The first report by Skills England (the Government's new body for the skills system) was also launched yesterday, showing that training expenditure is at its lowest level since records begin in 2011 - highlighting the need for the changes to the system. Ultimately, as ambassadors of our young professionals, we see this as a positive step forward to encourage employers to support and recruit the next generation. Let's hope the 'detail' is soon to follow!! FYI: for any business owner who hasn't come across the terminology 'apprenticeship levy' before (it was all new to me, a few months ago, too!) - the 'levy' is only applicable to businesses who have an annual wage bill of £3 million +. EMA Training Ltd | Tracey Mosley, MAAT | Laura Barber | Matt Edwards | Shane Mosley | Julian Smith | Adam Barnes #apprenticeships #apprenticeshiplevy #levy #growthandskills #growth #skills #apprentice #skillsgap #chooseanapprentice

Reforms are coming to Apprenticeships! Great to see that shorter/more flexible options are on the way, although less positive news for Level 7 apprenticeships where funding may be withdrawn. My hope is that the reforms address the issues with low completion rates for long apprenticeships, and employers terminating apprenticeship contracts when the minimum wage rate increases after the first year. It will be interesting to see the detailed proposals in due course. https://lnkd.in/gM9xX3E9 #apprenticeships #hr

This may have gone a little under the radar for many but it essentially has the aims of increasing apprenticeships to 20,000. My own view is that it doesn't quite make the steps needed to really drive the value and engagement of apprenticeships but have a read of the article and see what you think.  https://lnkd.in/dTZCvrBH

📢 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 Prime Minister overhauls apprenticeships to support opportunity The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson today announced a new growth and skills levy which will replace the existing apprenticeship levy and include new foundation apprenticeships. The new levy will also 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 develop over time, informed by Skills England’s assessment of priority skills needs. To fund this, employers are being asked to rebalance their funding for apprenticeships, asking them to invest in younger workers. This will also involve businesses funding more of their level 7 apprenticeships – equivalent to a master’s degree and often accessed by older or already well qualified employees – outside of the levy. Full press release below #apprenticeships #growthandskills #levy #overhaul #foundation #rebalancing https://lnkd.in/ejqMJWQe