Training providers’ representatives in Wales have urged ministers to clarify how the controversial new apprenticeship levy will affect apprenticeships in the nation.
The National Training Federation for Wales (NTFW) has written to the UK and Welsh governments, seeking assurance that money raised by the levy will be fairly shared out among the UK’s employers to spend on apprenticeships.
The organisation has raised concerns that a proposed tax on large UK businesses to pay for new apprenticeships will negatively impact Wales’s own successful apprenticeship programme, which, it says generates more than £1 billion a year for the country’s economy.
Devolved matter decided in Westminster
Peter Rees, NTFW chairman, said: “There is a great deal of concern amongst our membership that a decision has been made in Westminster which has had very little regard for the potential impact on apprenticeships policy here in Wales. After all, this is a devolved matter.
“We agree with the Welsh Government when they say that the announcement of the UK apprenticeships levy has cut across the devolution of skills policy and has only served to confuse the situation for employers.
The devil is in the detail
“That’s why… we are calling for an immediate analysis of how the levy can be used to increase the uptake of apprenticeships here in Wales in a way that minimises bureaucracy for employers, maintains Wales’s high quality provision and ensures that the backbone of the Welsh economy – micro and small businesses – are not forgotten as large employers race to recoup what they have paid in.
“As a Network, we remain committed to delivering high quality apprenticeships for individuals and employers across Wales. We will continue to work with the Welsh and UK governments to understand the detail of the levy and its potential impacts, in order that we can keep employers and their representative bodies informed of developments.”
