AQW 2250/17-22 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy what representation she is making to the Executive for Apprenticeship Levy Funds, generated in Northern Ireland, to be re-invested in apprenticeships or other forms of upskilling.
Asked by Stewart Dickson MLA on 18 February 2020
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 18 February 2020
- Answer due by
- 4 March 2020
- Answered
- 12 March 202023 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Apprenticeship Levy, a fiscal policy and reserved matter for the UK Parliament, was introduced by the UK Government in April 2017. Whilst Northern Ireland receives the Barnett Consequential from the levy this had no significant impact on the block grant.
Although the collection of the levy is a reserved matter, with no scope for derogation for Northern Ireland, the delivery of Apprenticeships is a devolved matter.
In Northern Ireland Apprenticeships are delivered through my Department’s ApprenticeshipsNI and Higher Level Apprenticeship programmes. My Department provides funding to support the cost of apprenticeship training for private sector employers regardless of whether they pay levy contributions. These are demand led programmes, and I encourage all employers to avail of these Programmes to drive forward business growth.
I am also focused on ensuring the apprenticeships system best meets the needs of employers and participants in Northern Ireland. The Strategic Advisory Forum and Sectoral Partnerships are working on an ongoing basis to ensure employers play a central role in policy development and curriculum design.
I have met with a number of employers and representative bodies to understand the impact of the levy and opportunities to enhance our apprenticeships system. I am committed to consider the issues raised by NI employers that I have engaged with and during the consultation on the impact of the levy in NI, including policy changes around the current age related criteria, potential public sector apprenticeships, and how to improve transparency for employers on the level of funding support they are currently availing of through participation in our apprenticeship programmes. I intend to engage with the Executive in due course to outline plans to further enhance our Apprenticeship system.