We were delighted to be the sponsor of the recent Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry Premier Networking Lunch. On Wednesday 20th July, over 40 business leaders gathered at the beautiful Summer Lodge Hotel in Evershot to network and promote their businesses, as well as enjoy the wonderful surroundings and dining.
The lunch began with Paul Collins, past President for DCCI, welcoming the guests before passing over to Kathy Harrison, Business Development Manager for Aspire Training Team. Kathy informed the group of the most recent changes that have been occurring in the sector, including the repercussions of the vote to leave the EU. Since the decision, and since Theresa May was announced as Prime Minister, Justine Greening has been appointed as Secretary of State for Education. We now also have a new Skills Minister following the resignation of Nick Boles. Robert Halfon has shown his incredible support for apprentice
ships over recent years, being the first MP to recruit an apprentice as well as launching the Parliamentary Academy.
With these changes in place, Kathy went on to explain the current situation regarding the apprenticeship levy. Due
to be launched in April 2017, the apprenticeship levy will require employers with a wage bill of over £3million per annum to pay 0.5% of their total wage bill into a levy, which will then be used for the training of apprentices. With the recent changes, there has been a delay to the expected announcements that were due earlier this month, and so there are calls for this to be a top priority in the coming weeks for the new Skills Minister.
Kathy concluded her presentation by informing the group of the numerous benefits that come from hiring an apprentice, including:
- Access to skilled workers
- More cost-effective way to recruit
- Lower overall training and recruitment costs
- Increased morale amongst existing employees
- Increased employee retention
- Favourable reputation from consumers
We’d like to thank DCCI for giving us the opportunity to sponsor this wonderful event, and looking forward to attending the next!
If you’re an employer considering hiring an apprentice, you can contact Kathy on 01202 551553 or email kathy.harrison@aspiretrainingteam.co.uk.
