Warning that nursing would suffer under apprenticeships reform
Nursing would likely be a “major casualty” if cuts are made to the apprenticeships funding system in England, the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) has warned.
UVAC is a not-for-profit body that represents more than 90 universities offering technical and professional higher-level learning.
“One major casualty of radical reform or abolishment of the current apprenticeship levy scheme will unfortunately be skilled professionals across nursing”
Mandy Crawford-Lee
In a report due to be published later this week, UVAC has set out the concerns and challenges around the future of the government’s apprentice levy scheme, which provides most of the funding for apprenticeship programmes across the public and private sector, including nurse apprenticeship degree programmes.
It has warned that cuts to the funding of higher and degree apprenticeships via the government’s apprenticeship levy scheme would lead to a decline in the number of nurses trained via the apprenticeship route.
The apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017 in England across a range of industries. It requires employers with payroll costs of over £3m – including the NHS – to make a 0.5% compulsory contribution to a central fund. This fund can then be accessed by employers to finance education and assessment for the apprentices they employ.
The fund can be used for apprenticeships for more than 695 occupations from level 2 (GCSE level) to level 7 (master’s degree level). The registered nurse apprenticeship is level 6 (degree level) while the district nurse one is level 7 (master’s degree).
According to the UVAC report there have been frequent calls since the levy was first introduced to prioritise funding for lower-level apprenticeships at level 2 and 3 by restricting or ending levy funding for programmes at level 6 and 7.
In November, education publication FE Week reported that chancellor Jeremy Hunt had drawn up plans to restrict the use of levy funding for degree-level apprenticeships, such as nursing, in advance of the 2023 autumn statement.
Although these plans were not enacted, chief executive for UVAC Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee has warned that the potential election of a new government this summer together with increasing pressure from big business to scrap the levy completely had left the future of the apprenticeship levy “uncertain”.
Dr Crawford-Lee said: “One major casualty of radical reform or abolishment of the current apprenticeship levy scheme will unfortunately be skilled professionals across nursing, if funding to higher and degree level apprenticeships is compromised.”
Withdrawal of levy funding for nursing apprenticeships could potentially derail the recruitment and training needed to meet the goals laid out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for England.
These include increasing the number of nursing and midwifery training places to around 58,000 and providing 22% of all training for clinical staff through apprenticeship routes by 2031-32 compared with 7% now.
A possible reform that UVAC has said could protect funding for nursing apprenticeships would be ring fencing of public sector levy payments. This would ensure that the NHS had greater control over apprenticeship spending, regardless of restrictions introduced for private sector employers.
Meanwhile, should it win the election, the Labour Party is proposing to replace the apprenticeship levy with a new ‘growth and skills levy’, which would allow businesses to spend up to 50% of their funds on non-apprenticeship training.
Dr Crawford-Lee added: “Whether it’s reform of the current levy system or transitioning to Labour’s proposed ‘growth and skills’ alternative, key consideration needs to be given to how apprenticeship funding is spent across nursing to ensure it can attract, train and retain the best talent.”
The report discussing options for the future of the apprenticeship levy or new growth and skills levy will be available on the UVAC website from 1 June 2024.
