The Apprenticeship Levy is a Great Opportunity to Upskill and Diversify

It’s time for UK businesses, and the construction sector in particular, to get serious about skills. We have an urgent need to improve productivity and we have an ageing skilled workforce. Brexit will make the easy route of plugging skills gaps by employing other countries’ skilled labour less straightforward.

There’s no escaping the fact that we need to nurture and grow more of our own talent; this is positive for both our industry and our society. Now that every company with a turnover greater than £3m contributes 0.5% of its wage bill to the Apprenticeship Levy, there’s no excuse for not embracing the apprenticeship opportunity.

Diversity and Social Mobility

By using the levy wisely, we can attract a more diverse group of people into the industry. Higher and degree apprenticeships, in particular, offer more routes through to senior positions, making our career pathways appeal to a wider range of people.

The impetus created by the Apprenticeship Levy is opening up high quality skills development across all levels and ages.

The levy will help us in our efforts to build a truly diverse workforce. Attracting and recruiting the best talent from a range of backgrounds is crucial for our future prosperity.

What is most surprising is how slow many companies have been to start using the levy to address issues with skills and diversity. According to FE News, less than 10% of the money paid into the fund has been spent. This is a massive wasted opportunity.

Osborne is using the introduction of the levy as a springboard to expand and enhance our apprenticeship opportunities. Since May 2017, 12 apprentices have joined Osborne. This drive will form part of a comprehensive Early Careers Programme that we will roll out in 2019.  Apprenticeship recruitment is also fully integrated with the social value and community engagement focus we bring to all contracts.

Why other organisations have been slow to embrace the opportunity is a puzzle. The Apprenticeship Levy is here to stay. Taking full advantage of it within a strategy to upskill the workforce just seems like common sense.

Find out more about Osborne apprenticeships here.