Talent Centric
Benefiting from the
Apprenticeship Levy
How to turn a major social change into a robust talent strategy.
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While businesses should always seek
to act as good corporate citizens, they
must be driven by the needs of the
business itself. This means the number and
type of apprenticeships they create cannot
be mandated by outside forces or short-
term financial gain, but by these specific and
individual, long-term needs.
Money talks but it also makes
people listen. The fact that budget
will be moved to the learning and
development arena through legislation
should allow HR to engage effectively with
general and financial management about
talent strategy.
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Apprenticeships are not a ‘magic
bullet’, but a key part of a wide-
ranging solution to talent challenges.
Any move to scrap existing learning and
development, without a robust case, must be
approached with caution and appreciation of
the bigger picture.
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Old perceptions of apprenticeships
are limiting, even potentially
damaging. Open-mindedness to
their shape and potential is key.
“When you think about the debt kids
are taking on today, the opportunity
to be sponsored through an
organisation, with real-life experience
and interaction with people, to
experience the job on the ground – and
be educated at the same time – it’s a
phenomenal opportunity”
Rosaleen Blair, CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions
alexandermannsolutions.com
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The new round of
apprenticeships has
the potential to tap
into under-used pools of
talent and consequently
generate significant
workplace diversity benefits.
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The introduction of
the levy has created
a marketplace where
employers can demand the very
best from education suppliers.
And if your current supplier is not
delivering what you really need,
someone else out there is likely to
be keen to take their place.
ntroduced in England in April, the Apprenticeship Levy
is an instrument of social and economic change, helping
to provide the next generation of skilled workers in the
UK, accelerating social mobility and creating at least three
million individual apprenticeships by 2020.
In practical terms, it requires all employers with a pay bill of
£3m or more a year to contribute the equivalent of 0.5% of total
payroll to a central fund, in order to promote the spread and
development of apprenticeship programmes.
To guide organisations in how to make the best out of the
levy, and develop a robust strategy, Alexander Mann Solutions
has drawn on expertise from organisations throughout the UK,
via polling and data analysis, and by focusing in detail on the
experience, plans and opinions of 10 major employers: Atos, BAE
Systems, Barclays, BT, CapGemini, GE, HSBC, Jaguar Landrover,
New Look and Santander. Our key conclusions are presented here.
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Line managers need
to be shown, in clear
and demonstrable
ways, that the ‘new ’
apprenticeships will both
maintain talent quality
and address specific talent
challenges within the
organisation. Their buy-in
to the project is essential.
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This is a new and
potentially vital front
in the ‘war for talent’.
Employers who can find ways
to communicate to candidates
that ‘new’ apprenticeships
are, not just a viable, but a
compelling alternative to
conventional career paths stand
to gain significant competitive
advantage over their rivals.
Edited extract from Alexander Mann Solutions’
white paper on the apprenticeship levy.