Levy is left behind

Firms have used less than 10% of the near £1.3billion from a flagship government training scheme.

The Apprenticeship Levy was launched a year ago today to get more people into training. Companies with payrolls of more than £3million pay the tax, which is designed to fund three million apprenticeships by 2020.

But figures obtained by the Open University show that just £108m of the money has actually been put to use.

The Open University’s David Willett said: “It’s clear adjustments are needed to make the levy work harder for employers.”

The Chartered Management Institute said there were still no details of an £80m fund to help small businesses access the levy, announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond, right, in last month’s Spring Budget.