Millions of pounds of unspent apprenticeship levy funding could help ease business supply chain worries in the automotive sector, according to apprenticeship provider Total People, which provides apprenticeships in more than 30 different industries.
The organisation said that more than £250 million of funding which could have been spent on training new workers under apprenticeship levy funding last year was returned to the Treasury by levy paying employers which could have been gifted to smaller SMEs and supply chain partners to ease delays and supply chain issues. As part of National Apprenticeship Week, Total People is running a campaign to achieve £500,000 worth of levy gifting over the next 100 days and creating 100 new opportunities for new apprenticeships with local SMEs.
The firm said that apprenticeships can be made available to new and existing employees of all ages, and can be used to bridge skills gaps, increase the workforce or train on new technologies and companies can benefit from upskilling staff on new technologies such as modern equipment and electric vehicles. Melanie Nicholson, Total People Managing Director, commented: “Our new campaign will make a real and lasting impact not only to people’s lives but to the economy as a whole.
“Our campaign is asking large and small employers to strengthen their future through apprenticeships. Using our apprenticeships expertise, each pound of gifted funding is helping to create real opportunities for individuals and businesses, while at the same time bridging skills gaps in key sectors and towns and cities.”
Levy paying employers are those with a wage bill of over £3m and see 0.5% of their payroll go towards the levy. They can ‘gift’ up to 25% of their apprenticeship levy to other organisations to fund apprenticeships.
