Motor Industry Body Responds To Fresh Calls for Apprenticeship Levy Reforms

“Whilst the apprentice numbers in automotive are not down as much as in other sectors, they are still much lower than they should be and don’t reflect the real demand that exists for new, young talent. A number of our large employers have told me directly that their apprentice recruitment has fallen short of their true business needs because they simply haven’t found the new processes to be easy to understand and negotiate.  The IMI is committed to working with employers to help them through the transition from the old apprentice frameworks to the new standards based apprenticeships and I do believe that we can get back to the numbers that accurately reflect demand in the sector – especially now that we have a broad range of new standards approved and available for both light and heavy vehicles.”

“Overall a more pragmatic approach from the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) – which is the body that governs the new apprenticeships – would help to achieve greater employer engagement across all sectors of business. Too many employers have struggled to get the training they actually want and need for their businesses approved for re-claim against their levy payments.  This is why many are simply regarding it as a tax and have disengaged.  That’s a great shame because the introduction of the levy should potentially have resulted in new apprenticeships being offered in a great many sectors and occupations where they haven’t previously existed.”