The next government should at least double what businesses pay in to the apprenticeship levy to repair the country’s poor record on training, according to a former Department for Education minister.
Jo Johnson, who was universities minister at the DfE when the apprenticeship levy was being developed, told an event in parliament today that increasing employer contributions would enable the levy to fund “a wider range of courses”, without reducing the resources available for apprenticeships.
The now Lord Johnson of Marylebone was speaking on a panel organised by the Future Skills Coalition – a new campaigning group set up by the AoC, AELP and City and Guilds. The panel event was part of a day of action with colleges and training providers lobbying MPs for greater investment in FE and skills ahead of next month’s budget.
Johnson said taking more money from employers to fund adult training, as well as apprenticeships, was the most realistic way of solving the country’s skills gaps.
