A new Gloucestershire company is urging businesses to embrace the new Apprenticeship Levy rather than resist it.

The Apprenticeship Management Group was formed earlier this year to help companies of all shapes and sizes adjust to life during and after the levy has come in to effect.

From 6 April, employers with a pay bill of over £3million will fall within scope of the levy, and will make their first payments into their levy accounts in May, which will be available to spend on training new and existing staff.

Unspent levy funds will be lost after 24 months.

Employers with a pay bill of under £3million will be able to access apprenticeship training under a different set of funding rules, with a maximum contribution of 10 per cent of the apprenticeship cost required, typically £42 a month for a one-year £5,000 apprenticeship.

Regardless of whether an employer will be paying the levy or not, apprenticeships will remain the cornerstone of work-based training for years to come, with the Government committed to creating three million apprenticeships in this parliament alone.

The Apprenticeship Management Group brings together over a decade of experience in apprenticeships, including industry experts, training managers, recruitment, IT, HR, law and accounting professionals, all managing an independent portfolio of training providers with truly national coverage under one umbrella to provide a simple, cost effective solution.

Director of the AMG, John Henry, has been heavily involved in lobbying the Government on behalf of a large industry body and says that it is not something to be afraid of but something that can be "a benefit to large and small businesses."

The AMG works with employers of all sizes and sectors, from complex multi-nationals to micro-employers with fewer than 10 staff, to help them understand the tangible business benefits of engaging with apprenticeships and ensuring they do so successfully.

Mr Henry added: "This is all part of a Government shake-up of apprenticeships and apprentice schemes in the UK.

"Our company is able to support your engagement with apprentices. This can take the form of end-to-end management of the entire process, or just those areas where the level of expertise or capacity does not exist in house, like developing an organisational training and apprenticeship strategy, ensuring your return on the levy as well as advice and mentoring for your HR department and your apprentices.

"We can also provide actual employment of the apprentice via a hosting arrangement for the duration of the apprenticeship."

For more information, contact the Apprenticeship Management Group on 0117 2302313 or email info@theapprenticeshipgroup.co.uk.

Picture: John Henry and Charlotte McKenna