FDF response to government's apprenticeship levy policy paper
12 August 2016
FDF response to government's apprenticeship levy policy paper
Tim Rycroft, Corporate Affairs Director at the Food and Drink Federation, the voice of the UK's largest manufacturing sector – food and drink, said: “Increasing the volume of high quality apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing is vital to tackling our skills gap, which is why we need to get apprenticeship funding right. Businesses are keen to ensure that apprenticeship employment and training costs demonstrate value and deliver a return on investment that supports their long term sustainability.
“As it stands, the proposed Apprenticeship Levy is not fully developed and not ready for implementation in less than eight months. In the wake of the vote to leave the EU, there is no question that it would add unwelcome additional burdens on hard-pressed industry at a moment of crisis.
“There is good news for non-levy paying SMEs who will receive co-investment of 90 per cent from government, increasing to 100 per cent if a company has fewer than 50 employees or they recruit an apprentice aged 16-18.
“However, there are still areas which need a rethink. For instance, while there has been some movement to allow up to 10 per cent of vouchers to be transferable in supply chains from 2018, we are disappointed this will not be available in year one.
“We join other business voices in urging the new Secretary of State to listen to industry, delay the levy's introduction, and work with us to make it fit for purpose.”
Notes to editors
- FDF has pledged to grow the number of apprenticeships within our industry from 1% of the workforce to 3% by 2020, supporting Government's overarching ambition.
- Since 2009, productivity performance in food and drink has increased by 11 per cent.
Contact Ted Woodward, Corporate Affairs Division, at: ted.woodward@fdf.org.uk, or +44 (0) 20 7420 7140.
