Multiple large employers including Liverpool FC, Amazon and QVC, give £7m help Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram create more than 1,200 Liverpool city region apprenticeships. Tony McDonough reports

Levy transfer from larger firms is funding more than 1,200 apprenticeships

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has persuaded multiple large employers to transfer £7m to fund more than 1,200 Liverpool city region apprenticeships at smaller firms.

Large employers are required to pay 0.5% of their wage bill towards an Apprenticeship Levy – collected by the Government to fund apprenticeships. Levy-payers can employ their own apprentices and gift up to 50% of their allocation to smaller businesses.

In May 2023, Mr Rotheram called on big firms to transfer unspent Levy via the Combined Authority Employer Brokerage Team to fund apprenticeships at local SMEs.

LFC is the largest contributor, transferring £596,500 of unused Levy to fund 120 new apprentices. Planemaker Airbus, based at Deeside has funded 99 training positions and Amazon has funded a further 64 roles.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) is now working with 23 Levy employers as part of the initiative. At an event at Anfield the Mayor praised those Levy payers who had contributed and urged other large firms to do more.

“I am delighted that so many employers have stepped up to invest millions of pounds from unspent Levy funds into skills and training, which we always need more of,” said Mr Rotheram.

“Funding new apprenticeships at smaller, local businesses, means that this initiative is equipping the next generation of workers with the skills they need to succeed, while contributing to the local economy.

“I’ve talked a lot about collaboration, and this is another fantastic example of what we can achieve when we work together. I’m proud that our partnerships have helped create over a thousand opportunities for local people to build brighter futures.”

Katherine Fairclough, CEO, of the Combined Authority with Matt Parish of the LFC Foundation

Nationally, Levy funding is underspent by up to £4bn which, if left unspent, is recovered by Government. The Liverpool city region’s underspend is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.

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Other larger employers the CA is working with include the BBC, TUI, Virgin Media, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Howdens, Matalan, E.on, and a number of local NHS Trusts, including Liverpool, Broadgreen, Alder Hey and Wirral.

Over the past six years more than 10,000 jobs and 7,000 apprenticeships have been created through initiatives such as the Mayor’s Young Person’s Guarantee and his award-winning UCAS-style apprenticeship and careers portal Be More.

For every £1 invested in apprenticeships the average return on investment is £27, meaning that the levy transfers facilitated so far have created a benefit of around £189m.

Matt Parish, chief executive of the LFC Foundation, added: “It’s fantastic to see that the club is leading the way in terms of Levy donations, and by showcasing the various benefits it brings will ensure that more businesses engage and show their support.”