After our research found that the Apprenticeship Levy would reduce the quality of workplace training and undermine attempts to boost productivity, we called for the Levy to be drastically overhauled. On 14 September we were then invited to give evidence to the UK sub-committee on Education, Skills and the Economy on why the new levy, as it stands, will not deliver on its key aims.

Primarily, the sub-committee is interested in:

• the proposal for an apprenticeships levy and how this may be implemented
• the institutional architecture of current provision and how this may be affected by the proposed Institute for Apprenticeships
• routes for progression to higher qualifications for current apprentices
• the quality of, and minimum standards for, apprenticeships, and how standards can be enforced
• the target of three million apprentices by 2020, how the Government proposes to achieve this and how this may affect the ‘skills gap’
• take-up of apprenticeships by 16–19 year olds and steps that can be taken to make more young people aware of available opportunities
• the process of applying for apprenticeships
• lessons from other countries’ approaches to apprenticeships.

Read our research on employer views on the apprenticeship levy