From April 2017, the UK’s Apprenticeship Levy comes into force, meaning that thousands of larger businesses will be liable to pay 0.5pc of their annual wage bill into the fund. The Levy is aiming to generate £3 billion a year, with the aim to train three million people across all private and public sector businesses by 2020.
While it feels like good news for employees; a third (33pc) of UK businesses say they’re confused about the implications of the Levy, and nearly a quarter (23pc) of those heading-up apprenticeships are not even aware of it, according to a study by exam awarding body City & Guilds in February 2017.
Equally, some believe that the Levy will only fund roles for new apprentices; but in reality it will create the opportunity for existing employees to upskill, as well as new jobs.
A facilities management services provider, ABM UK, says that it’s embracing the Levy and its investment of over half a million pounds in year one as a real opportunity to bolster its workforce with new and existing highly-skilled employees.
ABM UK group managing director, Andy Donnell, says: “We don’t see the Apprenticeship Levy as a challenge; we see it as a great opportunity to develop our people. In a way, we already feel one step ahead, as the training infrastructure we currently have in place is established and comprehensive. For us, the Levy feels like a natural extension and progression to the training that we’re already providing our staff with. This is a real chance for us to balance the training equilibrium with people at every level. It will allow us to invest in some of the people who historically haven’t been invested in, and to upskill and develop their talents. For us, this is just as exciting as helping to bring new people into the industry.”
The FM firm believes that the Levy will help its staff progress their careers faster, which in turn will leave more opportunities for new talent to establish.
Having appointed Jigsaw Training as its official training provider, ABM UK aims to offer about 120 apprenticeships in year one.
