Government Minister, Lord Agnew, has stated the Government recognises there are some challenges faced by creative sector employers with spending available funds under the Apprenticeship Levy.
Answering a Parliamentary Written Question, Lord Agnew stated that despite not measuring the level of apprenticeship funding being utilised by the creative sector, the Government recognises that there are some challenges faced by the sector in spending available funds due to the nature of the creative industries’ labour market.
Lord Agnew also stated that the Government will be exploring a new model for how high-quality apprenticeships that can be used to deliver multiple placements on film and TV productions, as well as addressing skills shortages.
In response to the Written Question, Dr Richard Wilson OBE said:
“TIGA welcomes the Government’s plans to explore a new model for how apprentices can be used to address skills shortages in the creative industries.
“However, it is disappointing that Government is unable to tell whether apprenticeships are being used in the creative industries or not. Collecting data on which sectors access apprenticeship funding will allow us to better understand which industries are and which industries are not benefiting from the Levy.
“TIGA has long argued that the Government should consider broadening the Apprenticeship Levy into a wider training levy, allowing employers to upskill staff through a wider range of educational and training pathways”
The full Parliamentary Written Question can be found below:
Apprentices: Arts
Department for Education
11 July 2019
Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the amount of apprenticeship levy money that was (1) paid, and (2) spent, by creative industry companies in the 2018–19 financial year.
Lord Agnew of Oulton: The apprenticeship levy is collected by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. HMRC does not publish data on levy receipts broken down by sector.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to register a sector when they set up an online apprenticeship service account to manage their funds. It is therefore unable to supply information on the sectoral distribution of spending on apprenticeships in the format requested. From discussions with the sector, we recognise that there are some challenges faced by the sector in spending available funds due to the nature of the creative industries’ labour market. We are working closely with them so that they can benefit from apprenticeships.
We are also working with the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport on an innovative Film and TV Apprenticeships pilot which will enable around 25 apprentices to benefit from hands-on experience on the sets of major films and TV shows.
Launching later this year, it will explore a new model for how high-quality apprenticeships can be used to deliver multiple placements on film and TV productions, as well as addressing skills shortages. [1]