Newsflash: Apprenticeship levy

What do we already know?

In our July 2015 Newsletter Government reforms (2): Budget news we updated you that George Osborne had announced that a new Apprenticeships Levy would be applied to large employers to fund 3 million new apprenticeships during the current Parliament. The levy would support all post-16 apprenticeships in England, and provide funding for each employer to use to meet their individual needs.

What’s new?

On 21 August 2015 the Government published a Consultation on the above Apprenticeship Levy, available here. The Consultation closes on 2 October 2015. The Consultation focuses on the implementation of the Levy – more details on rates and scope will follow later this year.

The levy will be collected from larger public and private employers in the UK. Views are sought on how size should be calculated. Employers in England will receive vouchers to pay for apprenticeship training for apprentices of 16 years of age or older and employers will have direct control over this spending. Employers in the construction and engineering construction sectors, who already pay training levies, will be consulted on whether they should continue to pay those levies in addition to the new Apprenticeship Levy.