Balfour Beatty sets out recommendations to evolve the Apprenticeship Levy
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that Government is set to reform the Apprenticeship Levy, Balfour Beatty today publishes its latest paper “Building the future: Reshaping the Apprenticeship Levy”.
With a looming skills shortage, coupled with a growing pipeline of critical infrastructure projects, it is vital that the Apprenticeship Levy is improved to ensure it is delivering the large number of high-quality apprentices the industry needs.
In its paper, Balfour Beatty outlines a series of key points and recommendations which must be considered if the Apprenticeship Levy is to achieve its aims of recruiting a new generation of construction professionals and upskilling the current workforce.
Balfour Beatty believes that changing focus from the number of apprenticeship starts to completions combined with approving the relevant Apprenticeship standards to allow for the recruitment of engineering and technical apprentices, will ensure the industry has the high-calibre, skilled, domestic workforce required for future success.
Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: “As a member of The 5% Club, Balfour Beatty considers skills and training the lifeblood of our business. Apprenticeships are essential to address the skills gap which our industry – and many others – face for the future, particularly in the technical disciplines.
“We can all see that the Apprenticeship Levy is not encouraging the creation and uptake of the apprenticeships we must have, to drive the UK economy and help people build meaningful careers. The Government’s decision to take action by reforming the Levy therefore has our full support.”
