With the Conservative party determined to create three million new apprenticeships by 2020, Chancellor George Osborne used the Autumn Statement to lay out plans on how to fund the project, stating that the apprenticeship levy will raise £3 billion a year, with large businesses paying a 0.5 per cent payroll tax from 2017.
The department for business, innovation and skills (BIS) has revealed the lowest statistics since records began for people not in education, employment or training (NEET), with close to 900,000 people undertaking an apprenticeship between 2014 and 2015.
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has called for George Osborne to provide greater clarity on the controversial apprenticeship levy, with many providers and employers putting their plans on hold until the chancellor presents the Autumn Statement and Spending Review.
The department for business, innovation and skills (BIS) has released its final report into its evaluation of the apprenticeship Trailblazers, highlighting how the initiative has improved the sector, as well as uncovering the potential risks associated with it.
In a campaign to tackle ‘‘ineffective managers draining British productivity,’’ some of the UK’s largest businesses have signed up to the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, developed by a group of 40 employers and universities.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has confirmed that it will launch an investigation into how the department for business, innovation and skills (BIS) has been handling its drive to create three million apprenticeships by 2020.
During the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference, Tesco CEO Dave Lewis called for David Cameron to give the retail industry more control over initiatives such as the upcoming apprenticeship levy, claiming that the tax will ‘‘wipe out our whole training budget.’’
Apprenticeship opportunities are improving for black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and learners with disabilities in Wales, according to a new report from Estyn – the education and training inspectorate for Wales.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, has hit out against the government, claiming that the devolution plans have not given the city enough control over its apprenticeships.
Wales' deputy skills minister Julie James has confirmed that the nation’s plans to improve their apprenticeship sector have to wait because the government needs to focus on the apprenticeship levy.
