The UK’s recently introduced Apprenticeship Levy (April 2017) has met with startling problems: government data shows that only half of the nation’s businesses that pay the new levy have claimed for any of the concomitant assistance. Experts argue this proves the business community is skeptical over the new system, is coping with it clumsily, and that the system could well slip into ineffectiveness.
Since April 2017, UK companies with a pay bill of at least £3 million (€3.3 million) have to pay a monthly apprenticeship levy of 0,5% of their payroll (c.f. article No. 9629). In return companies can apply for and receive government funding (via an online account) to invest in apprenticeship training.The problem is that by the end of August the Department of Education was surprised to notice that only 10,500 companies had registered for the funding, whereas at least 19,150 would have been eligible for the support.
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