Apprenticeships are vital to UK Automotive manufacturing, ensuring that young people continue to take up careers in the industry. This is crucial not only to address the sector’s current skills shortage but also ensure that a flexible, highly skilled and productive workforce is maintained for years to come.
UK Automotive has a long history of training apprentices across all business areas and continues to invest in apprenticeship schemes. In 2015 SMMT members took on more than 825 new apprentices, while keeping 750 on from the previous year.
Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service (AAMS)
The Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service was established by the Automotive Industrial Partnership (AIP) to develop a skilled workforce for the future. The Matching Service re-directs high quality talent from over-subscribed automotive apprenticeship programmes to other companies within the sector that have similar opportunities. Working with both companies and candidates, the mission of the AAMS is to ensure that talent is retained within the automotive industry.
- For more information, visit the AAMS website
Apprenticeship Levy
SMMT is working closely with members, government and other industry stakeholders to ensure that the Apprenticeship Levy, due to come in to force in 2017, will support the uptake of high-quality automotive apprenticeships.
The Levy will apply to all UK businesses, with the money generated used to fund new apprenticeships.
It will be set at a rate of 0.5% of an employer’s gross pay bill, with each employer receiving a £15,000 allowance – effectively meaning only those with pay bills in excess of £3 million will pay. The Levy will be collected through PAYE and put back in the hands of employers through a newly developed Digital Apprenticeship Service. Government will also apply a 10% top-up to monthly funds entering levy paying employers’ digital accounts, for apprenticeship training in England.
