New CIPD research reveals that, although the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy is likely to boost the overall number of apprenticeships, it risks undermining overall apprenticeship quality and wider investment in workforce training and development. The research highlights the high level of ignorance of the policy and opposition towards it less than nine months before its introduction in April 2017. While 35% of employers support the principle of the levy, 27% oppose it and 38% say they don’t know where they stand. Opposition to the levy increases among employers that expect to pay the levy and have calculated the approximate cost, with 47% of such employers opposed to the principle behind the levy and 39% in support. A worrying number of organisations also have yet to fully understand the impact and financial implications the levy will have on their organisation.

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