Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

ApprenticeshipsLatest NewsCareer developmentLearning & developmentQualifications

Temporary workers missing out on skills development

by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jul 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jul 2019 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Almost one million temporary workers are being excluded from skills development opportunities because of a poorly-designed apprenticeships system, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation has claimed.

Agency workers or those on temporary contracts are often unable to access training as schemes that can be funded by the apprenticeship levy must last at least 52 weeks – a length of time that usually exceeds the length of their assignment.

Apprenticeships

How we can fix the apprenticeship levy

More than nine in 10 want flexibility on apprenticeship spending 

This means that a disproportionate number of firms that employ and supply temporary or agency workers to other organisations pay the levy without being able to use the funds for training. According to the REC there is approximately £104 million of combined unused funds left in the pot of REC levy-paying members, which could have been used to train more than half of all agency workers currently on the payroll.

The REC is calling for the levy to be reformed as a skills levy with wider scope to allow organisations to offer short-term development opportunities that will expand the skill sets of those in temporary roles.

Neil Carberry, REC chief executive, said 95% of REC members that pay the levy cannot use the funds to train their staff. Almost half have been unable to use any of the funds paid into their account so far.

“The Apprenticeship Levy was designed with the best of intentions, but everyone knows it is not working as intended. It’s time for reform.

“As we redesign the levy, keeping support in place for apprenticeships matters, but we must end the scandal of locking temporary workers out of the system. Employers are paying a levy for them – but can’t use it to support their development,” he said.

The REC’s Training for Temps report says that temporary staff would greatly benefit from improved access to training and it would improve social mobility. It would also benefit employers who struggle to fill shortage occupations, like in hospitality and health and social care.

Recruiters said short-term training courses for temporary roles including healthcare assistants, teaching assistants, HGV drivers and forklift truck drivers were desperately needed to meet demand.

Robyn Holmes, founder and managing director of recruitment agency Prime Appointments, said it pays £30,000 annually into the apprenticeship levy but it cannot use this money to help its temporary staff get work.

“For example, the care sector is rightly very onerous with compliance so requires training. A lot of people want to become a carer but can’t afford to do the training. We would be delighted to use our levy to be able to train them. It would enable people to go out and do a job that is important for society and one they love,” she said.

Last week the government admitted that it would miss its target of getting 3 million people into apprenticeships by 2020.

L&D job opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more L&D jobs

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor of OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Apprenticeships boost social mobility in ‘cold spot’ areas
next post
Menopause support will boost boardroom diversity

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Hospitality training and work experience pilot launched

11 Sep 2023

Internal mobility: how to unlock your employees’ potential

5 Sep 2023

UK employees focus on current, not future, skills

4 Aug 2023

British Airways launches pilot training academy

26 Jul 2023

T-level shortcomings need addressing, says Ofsted

21 Jul 2023

The value of building, not buying talent

18 Jul 2023

How career conversations help prevent boredom at work

6 Jul 2023

Fear or future? Getting to grips with the...

4 Jul 2023

The UK’s training deficit: how HR and L&D...

4 Jul 2023

Only six in 10 L&D professionals ‘agile’ in...

27 Jun 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+