The next government must take calls for apprenticeship levy reform seriously, says AoC

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said:

“The Learning and Work Institute has clearly set out why the apprenticeship levy needs reform. The next government must take their report, our report ‘100% Opportunity: the case for a tertiary system', and the feedback from across the education and skills sectors seriously and change the apprenticeship programme so it delivers for young people, small and medium-sized businesses, new labour market entrants and key sectors of the economy.

“The proposal for a gradual introduction of change is well made, as is the priority that needs to be given to functional literacy, numeracy and digital skills and training in national priorities like net zero. However, we also need to meet local priorities, and colleges must be allowed carry out their own end-point assessment (EPA) to help reduce bureaucracy and costs.

“As well as funding 16 to 18-year-olds wanting to do apprenticeships through the study programme budget, we would want to see levy funding limited to Level 5 and below, leaving degree apprenticeships and above funded from the loans system. Both of those changes would free up funding from the levy to support more young people and training for more adults.”