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Apprenticeship Levy

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

By: Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Policy Leader

Wednesday 17 January 2018

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Before Christmas, my colleague Paul Turner wrote this blog about the ongoing saga Training Providers are facing to access £650 million worth of non-levy apprenticeships funding.

Despite the precarious position a lot of good and outstanding providers were left in before Christmas, no further reassurances on money have been promised. The Association of Learning Providers had written to the Skills Minister over the break about the untenable situation a lot of providers find themselves currently in. We could cynically interpret the ministers’ lack of a response as Mrs. Milton waiting for the cabinet promotion that was widely speculated was coming her way and, as it transpires, was not offered to her.

So, we’re still stuck in limbo after the contracts have been rolled out form December 20th – stating ‘In cases where providers have been unsuccessful in the procurement, [ESFA] are extending contracts by 3 months so businesses and apprentices have stability while completing existing training…Contracts for the non-levy funding will run between January 2018 and April 2019’.

Cold comfort perhaps, but we can hope the new Education Secretary will be interested in taking on the challenge of apprenticeship funding outside of the Levy and ensuring we have a diverse provider base to deliver the governments targeted 3 million starts. 

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