Apprenticeship Delivery

Tender description

The Sheffield City Regions Strategic Economic Plan sets out how the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Combined Authority/Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will help structurally transform the City Regions economy – to deliver growth and jobs, and in so doing drive up UK exports, expertise and productivity. They have set targets to narrow the economic gap over the next 10 years through the creation of 70,000 jobs, increase Gross Value Added (GVA) by 10% (or £3bn) and create 6,000 additional businesses beyond the baseline growth rates. Apprenticeships sit at the heart of these aspirations providing a building block for the development of SCR’s skills base and labour mobility. In Spring 2017 the way the government funds apprenticeships in England is changing. Some employers will be required to contribute to a new apprenticeship levy, and there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers. The levy applies to all large employers with a salary bill of over £3 million, the funding rules for levy-paying employers comes in to force on 1st May 2017. The levy aims to increase the number of apprenticeships and sets clear targets for Local Authorities. It provides a more employer led, flexible approach to apprenticeships in a range of industries and at different levels. The levy transfers the responsibility for covering the cost of apprenticeship training and qualifications to all large employers, with 0.5% of the total salaries been taken, at source and held in a digital account by HMRC. Sheffield City Council’s Levy is in the region of £1.4 million annually. Through the City Deal contract, Sheffield City Council provided a service to local SMEs to help them to recruit apprentices and train their own staff. Sheffield City Council intends through this contract to continue to support employers with the implementation of the change to apprenticeship funding to ensure it doesn’t negatively impact on the number of apprenticeship opportunities available in the City Region. Sheffield City Council’s allocation to deliver to non-levy payers is £309,483 for the period May to December 2017. Keywords: Apprenticeship, Sheffield, City, Council