Responding to the Prime Minister launching Skills England and committing to the introduction of a new Growth and Skills Levy, Tom Ironside, Director of Business and Regulation at the BRC, said:

In his speech today, the Prime Minister cut right to the heart of the problem with the current apprenticeship levy - its inflexibility. We welcome his call to give businesses "more flexibility to spend funds on the training [businesses] think is really necessary". The Apprenticeship Levy in its current form is broken, with half of the retail industry’s £250 million contribution going unspent. Retailers are excited to see the details of the new Growth and Skills Levy, and are keen to work with government to ensure its greater flexibility would allow them to spend funds on the most suitable pre-employment courses and short courses encompassing functional and digital skills. If the Government wants to drive growth, and reduce the reliance on non-domestic workers, businesses need the right tools to train their workforce for the jobs of today, and the jobs of tomorrow.