What is the apprenticeship levy and how does it work?

The apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017 as a way of helping employers to fund apprenticeships and to give them more control over training for their employees. You can also reserve funding for staff using a digital apprenticeship service account.

Although companies with an annual payroll of at least £3 million will already be paying 0.5% of their bill towards this levy, smaller businesses can also access this funding. If your company has more than 50 people and an annual pay bill of less than £3 million, you will only pay 5% of the cost of apprenticeship training and the government will pay the rest.

If you have less than 50 people working for you and they are 19 years and over, you will also only pay 5% of the cost of apprenticeship training. Regardless of company size, young people aged between 16 to 18 are fully funded when it comes to apprenticeship schemes.

As well as accessing funding for the training itself, there may also be grants available for funding new apprentices – please contact us for details.

What can it be used for?

Your business can use the levy on apprenticeships and funded training programmes, which align with your core business objectives. Even if you aren’t currently a levy payer, you can still take full advantage of the qualifications we offer. The courses we provide have been designed to reflect the fundamental values required by businesses to operate successfully, no matter what size or sector. The categories below cover each of our training areas:

For more information on the apprenticeship levy, please get in touch or call 0115 969 1650.