Norfolk County Council unlocks apprenticeship funding and opportunities with levy sharing

Apprenticeships Norfolk have launched a new Levy Support Scheme to enable companies who pay the apprenticeship levy, but don't spend their full allocation, to transfer their funding to allow other companies to provide training opportunities. Companies can transfer their unspent levy to a Norfolk business to enable them to hire more staff or boost skills of their current workforce which helps the county's economy to thrive, with money that would otherwise be returned to HM Treasury.

A number of companies have already pledged nearly £500,000 of their unused levy to help support training in the county and boost investment in key skills. Firms such as Aviva, B&Q, and Anglian Home Improvements will transfer their unused levy to companies who will be able to take on a new apprentice or upskill a current member of staff. Examples of companies who are keen to transfer their levy include Aviva, who are looking to fund any digital and IT apprenticeships, Anglian Home Improvements, who want to transfer their levy to companies that support the local community, and others, such as the East of England Co-Op, who are keen to transfer their levy to a variety of sectors.

The apprenticeship levy is paid by employers who have an annual wage bill of £3m or more. Businesses can choose to transfer up to 25% of their levy funds each year to help other small companies pay for their apprenticeship training.

Cllr Fabian Eagle, cabinet member for economic growth, said: "We are thrilled to have just launched this scheme and already have almost half a million pounds of levy that we can redistribute. Being able to keep the levy inside Norfolk and use it to develop the skills that the county needs means we have opportunities to provide better, more skilled jobs for the future."

Danny Harmer, Chief People Officer at Aviva, said: "We want to support local people to develop the skills they need for the future. If you're a local business looking to make your workforce future ready, The Aviva Foundry is here to help. We're supporting local organisations to take on their own digital apprentices by gifting part of Aviva's apprenticeship levy."

One early transfer has seen Anglian Home Improvements providing funding for a Level 5 Learning and Development Consultant apprenticeship for an existing member of staff at the YMCA, proving the benefits apprenticeships can bring to upskill current staff.

Martin Morrell, Apprenticeships Advisor at Anglian Home Improvements, said: "As a company we are keen to support local charities such as the YMCA by gifting funding via the apprentice levy transfer scheme. This will allow their employees to be given the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications and training. We are delighted to support both the organisation and the individual which may not have been possible without the additional funding."

Jessica Tyson, Training and Development Officer at YMCA, said: "We identified that a CIPD Learning and Development qualification is something that would grow my knowledge and understanding in this area, hugely benefitting me in my role at YMCA Norfolk and ultimately improving our service for young people and families in Norfolk.

"I didn't have any experience of apprenticeships and with limited knowledge didn't know where to begin. Thankfully I was signposted to Apprenticeships Norfolk where the team introduced the Levy Support Scheme, successfully finding us a match, a generous local company who would support me by financing the cost of the qualification through their levy!

"The whole process has been so smooth and easy, with the apprenticeship team being in regular contact, giving expert advice and guidance."

Apprenticeships Norfolk are hosting a series of webinars to further explain the scheme and to help companies see the benefits of transferring or receiving levy. They are being held online on the following dates:

• 18 May at 9.30-10am for employers. Sign up to the online webinar for employers on 18 May.
• 18 May at 1-1.30pm for stakeholders. Sign up to the online webinar for stakeholders on 18 May.
• 23 May at 12.30-1pm for employers. Sign up to the online webinar for employers on 23 May.
• 24 May at 9.30-10am for stakeholders. Sign up to the online webinar for stakeholders on 24 May.

For more information about the Levy Support Scheme, or to sign up to either transfer or receive levy, visit the Apprenticeships Norfolk website.