08 March 2017 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
Over the last year or so we’ve worked hard to try and keep everyone up to date with the development and introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, which will come into force on the 6th April. Most recently, HMRC has published guidance that covers calculating, reporting and paying the levy as well as sector-specific information. HMRC has also updated the process for setting up a new PAYE scheme in its guidance for employers with pooled PAYE schemes. This will be useful for any BUFDG members who operate pooled PAYE schemes, as we are now entering the period in which action may need to be taken.
We also reported a few weeks ago on the Apprenticeship Levy in the devolved regions, with all the latest information from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We also mentioned that for all devolved regions, Grant Thornton has confirmed to us that if you are a non-English employer but you have employees in England, you can still register for the Digital Apprenticeship Service (now live) and there is scope to draw down some of your levy funds based on those employees residing in England. (Although the registered training providers will only be based in England).
This week there’s a little additional commentary, with HEFCE blogging about degree apprenticeships (HESA has published information on its data-collection processes for degree apprenticeships), and a critical piece in the FT taking a cautious view of the success of the whole project.
