The UK Chamber of Shipping and Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) have backed the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) request to delay implementation of the government’s levy on apprenticeships until 2018.
The levy is expected to hit all companies in the UK with a pay bill of over £3m when it enters into force in April 2017.
Some employers will be required to contribute to a new levy on government funding for apprenticeship schemes, and there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers.
But the UK Chamber and MNTB say the levy scheme lacks clarity in how it will be implemented and operated across the UK, and the impacts it will have on training providers remain uncertain.
“The lack of clarity on the levy is of great concern, and the UK Chamber fully supports calls for a delay in implementation. It is crucial that government and industry are able to fully assess the implications of the levy, or risk jeopardising recent successes in increasing apprenticeship numbers,” Guy Platten, UK Chamber CEO, said in a release today.
“Thus far, very little detail has been provided by government on the practical detail of the scheme, leaving many businesses in the sector concerned over the true impact implementation may have,” said Glenys Jackson, head of the merchant navy training board.
The two organisations have just held a joint apprenticeship seminar to allow members to learn more about the levy and the impact it may have on their businesses.
Ian Woodman, head of maritime at the Department for Transport (DfT), gave a presentation on the UK government’s new transport skills strategy and told attendees the DfT is keen to work with and support industry in the lead up to the introduction of the levy.
