According to the National Apprenticeship Service, employers who take on apprentices can benefit by gaining talented new recruits who are eager and motivated, while saving money on training and recruitment costs.
In 2010/11 there was a 64% increase in the take-up of apprenticeships compared with the previous year. However, critics said that too much of the Government funding available for apprenticeship schemes was being targeted at existing employees rather than unemployed young people looking to get onto the career ladder.
At the end of last year, the Government announced it would be introducing a series of reforms to strengthen apprenticeships, such as monitoring employers who run apprenticeship schemes to make sure they include a rigorous amount of “job-relevant” training.
Here you can find the latest case studies, guidance and news on apprenticeships…
Apprentices
Spring statement: minimum wage review and early apprenticeship reforms
All the employment highlights from the Chancellor's spring statement...
‘Use the apprenticeship levy to improve management’ – Cary Cooper
Improving the UK’s poor management performance is the definitive way to fix the economy, says organisational psychologist Professor Sir Cary...
Apprenticeships should be opened up to single parents
Most single parents are being locked out of apprenticeships because of a lack of part-time opportunities and the difficulty of supporting children with such low pay.
Don’t let levy criticism eclipse apprenticeship opportunities
It’s been a bad news week for apprenticeships. But Dr Susan Laing, Dean of Teesside University Business School, argues that...
Employers access a tenth of apprenticeship levy funds
The government is unlikely to reach its target of 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020 and there are “concerns about...
£400m apprenticeship levy underspend revealed
Only £268m was spent by levy-paying employers on apprentices in the programme's first year of operation, 2017-18. This equated to just 13% of the Treasury's £2.01bn apprenticeships budget and contributed to a £400m underspend.
Criticism of levy mounts as Apprenticeship Week kicks off
Training providers air criticism of the government's apprenticeship levy as surveys reveal the extent of ignorance over the scheme.
Boost apprenticeship access for women to increase diversity
The government should remove any barriers preventing young women embarking on apprenticeships, according to a report published today by the...
Large employers fear inability to fill technical roles
Employers are becoming increasingly concerned for their ability to recruit sufficient numbers of graduates for technical roles as Brexit looms,...
How can employers make apprenticeships work?
National miminum wage rate quick reference guide
How to make use of fixed-term, part-time, training/apprenticeship, casual or nil hours contracts (XpertHR subscription required)
