Mayors call for combined action on apprenticeship levy

England’s eight directly-elected mayors are combining together again to press the Government for greater devolution of powers and funding over skills.

In a joint statement, the mayors have requested their city regions to be given control of the Apprenticeship Levy funding which levy payers do not spend and further devolution of control of 16-19 skills policy.

They also want additional funding from the Government to improve the quality of apprenticeships and the training providers.

Six of the mayors are meeting in Liverpool, which follows previous mayoral summits in Birmingham and London.

“A shortage of the right skills is shackling our economy nationally,” said Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram, who is hosting the summit.

“We are proving that devolution works, by enabling us to make the right decisions for our areas. By trusting us to make decisions locally on skills the Government can give a practical boost to UK plc as a whole.”

The focus on apprenticeships come after figures showed the number of apprenticeship starts dropped by 24% after the levy was introduced.

The mayors want a meeting with apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton “to discuss how we can work together to drive apprenticeships and technical education in our regions”.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, added: “Further devolution to allow a less fragmented post-16 skills system with clear and attractive choices for young people, including apprenticeships and T-Levels, would go a long way to connecting residents and businesses with the growth of Greater Manchester.

“The Government could show its commitment to devolution right now by giving us the chance to utilise the Apprenticeship Levy underspend. This money, as part of a wider devolution package,
could prove vital in helping both our young people and us to achieve our aims.”