Expanding the apprenticeship levy so that half of funding can be spent on other forms of training would limit the country to 140,000 apprenticeship starts per year, the government has claimed.
New Department for Education estimations for the plan, which has been proposed by the Labour Party in the buildup to the general election, state that doing so would cost an additional £1.5 billion.
Skills minister Robert Halfon revealed the forecast in an answer to a parliamentary question, tabled by Conservative MP Simon Jupp. He said it is “important that the apprenticeships budget remains ring-fenced for apprenticeships to ensure continued affordability of the programme”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer last year announced his intention to reform the apprenticeship levy so that it can be spent on other types of training if the party comes into power.
