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Get ready for the levy

A free event is being held at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ for businesses to learn from industry leaders about how they can prepare for the new apprenticeship levy.

Next month, all businesses with a pay bill of more than £3 million are required to invest in apprenticeships by paying into the levy. Businesses of all sizes can access funds from the levy to train and develop their employees.

The ‘Get Ready for the Levy’ event being held at the University’s Middlesbrough campus on 3 April will allow companies to learn about the range of employer-led higher and degree apprenticeships on offer and in development at º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

The event will also provide information on how the funding works both for levy payers and non-levy payers.

The keynote speaker will be Mike Matthews, president of the North East Chamber of Commerce and managing director of car parts manufacturer Nifco.

Nifco has invested heavily in employee development and Mike will talk about the value of apprenticeships and higher-level skills.

Also speaking will be George Ritchie MBE, chair of North East Apprenticeship Ambassadors and a member of National Apprenticeship Ambassadors and former senior vice-president for HR at Sembcorp. In just over a decade he instigated, shaped and gained financial support for a number of schemes that have led to the creation of almost 1,000 new, high quality apprenticeships on º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships (HDAs) offer employees a chance to earn while they learn and unlike traditional apprenticeships there are no age restrictions.

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is developing a range of degree apprenticeships for a variety of professions including Chartered Manager, Digital and Technology Solutions, Embedded Electronic Systems Design Engineer, Health Assistant Practitioner and Laboratory Scientist.

Laura Woods, Director of The Forge, º£½ÇÖ±²¥'s business hub, said: 'We’re working with business across a multitude of sectors to develop our degree apprenticeships.

'Because HDAs have been developed in conjunction with senior managers and employers, companies can be assured that the qualifications will meet their needs.

'We want companies across the region to maximise the benefits of the apprenticeship levy.

'We hope that this event will help answer employers’ questions about the levy and also provide information about how they can make their companies grow through developing the skills of their employees.'

The Get Ready for the Levy event takes place at 4.00pm to 6.00pm on 3 April in The Curve at º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

For more details about the 'Get Ready for the Levy' event visit the link below.

• apprenticeships
• business