Responding to the NAO’s report on apprenticeships, LGA skills
spokesman Cllr Mark Hawthorne MBE, said:
“Local government is fully behind the Government’s ambitious
commitment to create three million new apprenticeships by 2020,
as we know how critical skills development is for our own
workforces, local businesses and residents. For the
Government not to achieve its own target is a missed opportunity
to drive up productivity and start to close local skills gaps.
“With a 26 per cent fall in apprenticeship starts between
2015/16 and 2017/18 and many employers still struggling to spend
their funds nearly two years after the introduction of the
Apprenticeship Levy, further reform to enable greater local
flexibility is desperately needed.
“The Government must use its review of the Apprenticeship Levy to
engage with employers, including councils, to understand and
resolve the barriers they currently face in order to make
the new system a success.
“Critical to creating more apprenticeships will be ensuring local
areas retain any unspent Levy funds they generate and pool their
contributions so they can take a more strategic approach to
promote and increase the take up of high quality apprenticeships
and the Apprenticeship Levy by local residents and employers,
which has been a barrier to date. Assurance that the Government
will extend the deadline for expiring Apprenticeship Levy
contributions is also critical to this goal.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- In July 2017, the LGA launched Work Local – an
ambitious but practical vision for devolved and integrated
employment and skills provision.
- The LGA has also put together a series of Skills Taskforce
roundtables designed to bring together industry experts and
sector representatives with an interest in making our skills and
employment system as effective as possible. For more information
click here.
