Susan Ball, tax partner and Richard Travis-Nash, associate director, taxation from RSM UK explain the different ways employers can maximise the benefits of the apprenticeship levy

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The apprenticeship levy has been with us since April 2017, but is still often misunderstood and not always used effectively by employers.

Is it just another tax on employers or a valuable part of their training budget?

The answer is more nuanced than that and will vary for each employee.

 

How does it work?

The levy is intended to fund qualifying apprenticeships, courses and qualifications offered to employees by registered education providers.

In simple terms, employers with an annual pay bill in excess of £3 million must pay the levy, which is calculated at 0.5% of pay above this threshold.

The pay to be considered for the levy is all pay which attracts a secondary class 1 National Insurance contribution (NIC) charge, so the bulk of employee remuneration, but not benefits, termination payments or items included in a pay as you earn (PAYE) settlement agreement.

The apprenticeship levy is collected through real time information, calculated and paid each pay period. It’s a relatively simple concept, but errors still arise.

But what sort of issues do we commonly see?

 

What could go wrong?

The principal issue we see is in a group setting. The £3 million threshold, which becomes an effective £15,000 ‘allowance’ (£3 million x 0.5%), can only be applied to one employing entity in a group of connected employers. Connected broadly means under common ownership or owned by one another. The allowance can be split between the companies in the group, but this division must be decided upon and notified to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before the start of the tax year and cannot then be changed for the remainder of the tax year.

Clearly, these amounts can quickly add up, and there’s very little scope for mitigation. The issue tends to arise when newly acquired businesses aren’t fully integrated from a controls and governance point of view with the parent and wider group. Failing to capture all relevant pay elements that count towards the pay bill calculation is another issue, but one which has generally been ironed out over the years since the introduction of the levy. Of course, where settlements with HMRC are required, for failure to properly account for PAYE / NICs, the apprenticeship levy will also need to be included.

The other side of the coin is use of the levy funds. These sit in an employer’s apprenticeship levy account for two years from payment and are intended for training courses, qualifications and employee development, which meet the criteria for approved apprenticeship standards. There are now more than 700 such standards, yet many employers aren’t maximising their apprenticeship levy funds, resulting in the levy being just another tax, another cost of employment. So, is the levy failing in its purpose? Are employers not making full use of their funds, or getting it wrong?

 

Workforce planning

We’re seeing more and more clients adopt apprenticeship schemes, some out of necessity and others who are curious about what’s on offer, but typically without appropriate consideration for workforce planning. Reasons like ‘they just leave once they’re qualified’ seem to make those in business reluctant to think longer term, but apprenticeships play a pivotal role in shaping talent strategies for organisations and there’s a latent source of talent waiting to be leveraged.

Closing the skills gap remains a key driver for the levy, with unemployment rates down but a high number of vacancies remaining. As companies struggle to recruit the right people, the focus turns to alternatives. Apprenticeships provide a practical solution to the widening gap between supply and demand for skilled workers. As demographics shift and birth rates decline, employers face a future shortage of highly skilled individuals. It seems logical that investing in apprenticeships can bridge this gap and build a new pipeline of talent.

Building capabilities in the existing organisation is often missed in favour of the default – recruiting new, young, entry-level hires, but mapping the future capabilities required is a powerful catalyst for upskilling and reskilling existing employees.

Organisations can use apprenticeship programmes to enhance technical skills, leadership abilities and overall capabilities of their employees. It not only strengthens engagement but can also foster agility for the organisation as a whole.

Loyalty and productivity are significant reasons companies choose not to engage with apprenticeships, but they can foster loyalty and commitment from workers with the right strategy. When organisations invest in their employees’ growth using structured career paths, it creates a sense of belonging. Loyal employees tend to be more productive overall, more engaged and contribute positively to the company’s culture.

Lastly, what some organisations might be missing is the untapped potential of workers. Apprenticeships enable organisations to apply talent to other areas of business they wouldn’t have considered before. Engaging diverse talent pools, like career changers and returners, in addition to new recruits, not only brings a raft of new ideas and changes in approach, but also drives motivation that might be lacking in current employees.

Programmes like this should be seen as a strategic investment in talent development, organisational growth and long-term success, but some employers get bogged down with the operational elements of them. It’s time to start recognising the wealth of opportunity apprenticeships offer.

 

What do successful apprenticeship strategies and programmes look like?

Many employers are, however, long-standing advocates of the positive impact of apprenticeships. Apprenticeship strategies shouldn’t focus on ‘how to spend the apprenticeship levy’, but look far broader in scope, and be aligned to the talent, workforce and people strategies mentioned above. Successful apprenticeship programmes identify clear measures for success, by looking at how well the apprentices are progressing and from gaining regular feedback from the apprentices and line managers. This insight is critical in enabling employers to showcase and promote the impact of apprenticeships, but also in addressing any areas for improvement.

An apprenticeship strategy without clear outcomes, roles, responsibilities and accountability for performance metrics often limits the ability of employers to maintain high quality, effective apprenticeship provision, while also ensuring the objectives in the business strategy are achieved.

Many employers consider apprentices different to other employees, and they’re right to do so, to ensure the apprentices get the best experience and contribute positively to the workplace. But a number of organisations don’t have adequate processes in place to evaluate the quality and impact of the experience, such as:

• actively seeking feedback from the apprentices
• considering the quality of the apprenticeship training
• reviewing the business impact of the 20% ‘off-the-job’ training requirement
• ensuring apprentices have mentors who are supportive and encouraging.

 

What’s the impact of a successful apprenticeship strategy?

Government research (see https://ow.ly/TEU450RBmbN) shows that using apprenticeships as part of training and development results in a more agile, motivated and productive workforce.

By offering apprenticeships, organisations can ensure the skills developed match the company’s current and future needs.

This will help bridge any skills gaps and allows the business to source future managers and leaders from within, reducing the need for external recruitment.

The study mentioned above highlights the following:

• 92% of companies that have taken on apprentices believe this leads to a more motivated and satisfied workforce
• 86% said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation
• 80% have seen a significant increase in employee retention.

There are many advantages to using apprenticeships to replace numerous existing programmes and train employees at all levels, enabling you to close future skills gaps, upskill or reskill your staff, and create a motivated, ambitious and loyal workforce. As a result, staff turnover and recruitment costs reduce, while productivity and social mobility increases.

In the UK, the estimated average annual gain for employers is between £2,500 and £18,000 per apprentice during their training period. Apprentice outputs usually surpass their associated costs, delivering a net benefit to employers during their training. Provided they remain with their employer, these gains are likely to increase further once training is completed, as apprenticeship costs are removed and productivity increases.

 

What common themes appear in apprenticeship strategies?

Common themes in apprenticeship strategies include:

• developing the skills and attributes of existing staff
• offering apprenticeships as part of the job package to enhance recruitment
• helping existing employees by providing high quality training at a variety of levels
• identifying apprenticeship opportunities as part of the people strategy to support skills development. 

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