Minister advises on apprenticeships

AutoRaise has received a communication from Nick Boles MP, the Minister of State for Skills advising the government’s views on future apprenticeships initiatives.

The letter to all recognised Trailblazer Groups outlines the plans to establish the Institute of Apprenticeships and details of the Apprenticeship Levy as announced in the governments Autumn Statement.

In his letter, Mr Boles states, ‘we are now in a position to confirm both the rate for the apprenticeship levy and its scope. The rate for the levy will be set at 0.5% of employer’s paybill and will be collected via PAYE. Each employer will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against their levy payment. This means that the levy will only be paid on any pay bill in excess of £3 million and that less than two per cent of UK employers will pay it.’

Spokesman for AutoRaise, Bob Linwood, said, ‘We are delighted to receive this letter, as I’m sure all Trailblazers will be.’ As well as outlining the future funding mechanism, the minister alludes to the ground-breaking reforms that Trailblazer groups like AutoRaise have led and that the Institute of Apprenticeships will support us in ensuring the delivery of quality apprenticeship standards.

A full copy of the letter is available from the AutoRaise website.

AutoRaise recently announced that its draft apprenticeship standard has now been signed-off and fully approved by government.