The apprentice levy has finally arrived, and I think that there are some challenges ahead if the government is going to meet its manifesto commitment to create 3 million apprenticeships during its current term in office.
My own view, based upon discussions with many colleagues across the industry, and upon my own experience within BAM, is that there could very well be a dip in apprentice numbers within the construction sector - at least initially. The government has been very slow to release details of how the levy is to be collected and how the Digital Apprentice Service will operate.
Consequently I think that there are many employers out there who are only just becoming aware of what they will have to pay and how apprenticeships will be funded in the future. They are likely to find the new focus on employers having to negotiate training agreements with providers a very different and more bureaucratic process than they are used to when taking on an apprentice, and this could be a real barrier for them.