The Impact of the Apprenticeship Levy in England

Event Date: 31 January 2018

HRM Research Seminar

Speaker: Peter Dickinson, University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research

Time:4-5pm

Location: CW406a, Strathclyde Business School – Cathedral Wing, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0QU

Apprenticeship policy within the UK has developed considerably over the past decade.  The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in May 2017 was a step change in the funding of apprenticeships, but was part of a consistent trend towards a more demand-led skills policy where the beneficiary pays.  An analysis of recent surveys of employers and providers suggests that important criticisms of UK apprenticeship policy have been ignored, and that the introduction of the levy may result in a more restrictive apprenticeship system which supports only larger employers who already invest in skills.  This funding and other apprenticeship reforms run the danger of a further narrowing of apprenticeships rather than as an expansive component for addressing the UK skills problems.

Peter Dickinson is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research.  He has led on recent projects analysing the impact of the apprenticeship levy on employers in England, and an evaluation of Degree Apprenticeships for HEFCE.

Published: 19 January 2018