The Government has issued a white paper on opportunities for those over 16 in education and training, which has been broadly welcomed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Responding to the Post-16 Education & Skills white paper, Luiza Gomes (left), employment and skills policy adviser at the BRC, said: “We’re delighted the Government has listened to industry and committed to making a crucial reform to the Growth & Skills Levy, finally allowing employers to use the Levy on short, flexible training courses from April next year.
“The BRC has long called for this simple fix to be made. An estimated 40-50% of the retail workforce are in need of upskilling, and retailers will now be able to use a greater proportion of their Levy funds to offer more training opportunities.
“We look forward to working constructively with Skills England on the next steps. It’s vital that the Government works with the retail industry, the largest private sector employer, to find more ways retailers can maximise use of their Levy funds to increase and improve the number of apprenticeships and training opportunities they offer, create better jobs, boost productivity, and help the economy to grow.”
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