The importance of the Apprenticeship Levy for businesses

Estimates from the Science Council suggests that the ICT workforce will grow 39% by 2030. Furthermore, A recent UK Digital Skills Taskforce report highlighted that Britain faces a growing shortage of digital skills. There is becoming an increased demand for industrial and digital skills in young people moving forward. And with the Apprenticeship Levy fast approaching, there has never been a bigger focus on providing on equipping young people with digital skills during apprenticeships.

By 2020, the Apprenticeship Levy aims to fund three million apprenticeships. The new tax will see a basic charge of 0.5% of PAYE bill to businesses with a payroll over £3m a year. Each employer will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against their levy payment.

So, what is an apprenticeship? It may seem a little tedious to question what one is, but there are rules in place governing what an apprenticeship actually is. These include:

  • the apprentice must be employed in a real job; they may be an existing employee or a new hire
  • the apprentice must work towards achieving an approved apprenticeship standard or apprenticeship framework
  • the apprenticeship training must last at least 12 months
  • the apprentice must spend at least 20% of their time on off-the-job training

risual Education brides the gap between industry and education. Our apprenticeship’s give young people the opportunity to put all the theory they learn in the classroom to work. Our apprenticeships study Level 2 up to Level 4 IT professional and specialist qualifications, designed to support local economic growth. There is no substitute for real-world experience.

The UK government has a ‘2020 vision for apprenticeships’ which includes making them much more attractive for young people and adults to aspire to go into, rather as it being seen as a downgrade from University. There is also the aim to make apprenticeships available across all sectors of the economy and at all levels, this is in order to create higher quality opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours employers are looking for.

risual Education apprenticeships support employers to improve the skills within their workforce, and reduce the impact on their businesses from the growing shortage of digital skills. Apprenticeships give learners the opportunity to achieve industry-recognised Microsoft qualifications supported by outstanding industry-qualified assessors. The key priority of the risual Apprenticeship scheme is to create a skilled, IT literate workforce ready to make an immediate impact.

Our Employer Engagement Manager will work with employers to identify training needs, support the recruitment of apprentices and act as a guide through training. Typically, apprentices attend college one day per week, and our assessors visit apprentices in the workplace every four to six weeks to support their progression.

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