Improving apprenticeship delivery in London

Improving apprenticeship delivery in London: a submission by London local government and business

  • By Spike van der Vliet-Firth

London Councils has developed a paper which has been sent to the Chancellor and the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Anne Milton MP. It makes the case for changes to the apprenticeship levy that will improve the system in London. Organisations that have signed up to the paper include:

  • London Councils
  • The Mayor of London/GLA
  • London First
  • London Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Local London
  • South London Partnership
  • Central London Forward
  • West London Alliance

All these organisations agree that the government needs to move further and faster with levy reforms in order to meet the needs of London and ensure that the levy is fully used in the capital.

To enable London’s business to deliver more high-quality apprenticeships, the paper proposes immediate changes to the operational framework of the apprenticeship levy. It also suggests a longer-term discussion with government on how the levy can best respond to London’s challenges in generating apprenticeships. 

The signatories to this letter all support the apprenticeship levy, its principles and potential to improve the capital’s productivity and output. They also all recognise its potential to increase social mobility and create more opportunities for Londoners. It is therefore vital that adjustments are made to enable more high-quality apprenticeships to be generated in the capital.

The system is not delivering on the aspiration of the apprenticeship levy to increase high quality apprenticeships. Starts fell by 24.1 per cent in the 2017/18 academic year compared to the previous year.[1] 

Read our submission to government by following the link on this page. 

[1] Department for Education, November 2018, Apprenticeship and Levy Statistics

Spike van der Vliet-Firth , Principal Policy Officer- Enterprise, Economy and Skills