The Apprenticeship Levy hasn't achieved what people hoped. The scheme was introduced in April 2017 with the aim of boosting productivity and creating three million apprenticeships by 2020 in sectors such as construction and engineering. So far, the number of individuals starting apprenticeships has, in fact, decreased. Only 132,000 people started apprenticeships in the 2018/19 academic year -although this is a 15% increase on 2017/18, it is still 15% lower than pre-levy starts, the Office for National Statistics reported in January. This will be disappointing but unsurprising to many in the construction industry. It has received widespread criticism over the complexity of the process, a lack of clarity/guidance, limited choice of apprenticeships and the perception that is simply another tax on bosses. The government announced some reforms last year, generally ! received positively, but many argued they did not go far enough. However, employers should not be discouraged from using levy funds - as the skills shortage worsens, they need to make the most of the scheme now more than ever.
展开▼
