CILIP is raising the alarm about proposed changes to the Growth and Skills Levy, that could result in Level 7 apprenticeships being excluded from Government funding.

Apprenticeships are a vital part of CILIP’s sector workforce development strategy, promoting equity, offering a range of pathways into and through the profession, and filling skills gaps.

Building on the success of the sector Level 3 apprenticeship, CILIP has been collaborating with employers across the sector to launch a new Level 7, which was just about to be put forward for final approval.

CILIP has written to Alison McGovern MP the Minister for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions; Richard Pennycook CBE the Interim Chair of Skills England, and to every member of the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee. We are now looking to build partnerships with like-minded organisations to protect levy funding for key Level 7 apprenticeships.

Libraries, knowledge, and information services underpin innovation and productivity by ensuring they are equipped with a future-fit workforce in the key growth sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, including digital technologies, life sciences, professional and business services, and the creative industries,

Organisations with a payroll of more than £3m per year have been making mandatory contributions to a central pot through the Apprenticeship Levy. Employers can currently draw down from that central levy pot to pay for apprentice training, incentivising uptake.

Since 2017, CILIP has been heavily involved in the design and implementation of two apprenticeship programmes for the profession. The Level 3 Apprenticeship has seen more than 100 employers participate in the programme to develop their workforce.

Work has been ongoing to develop a higher-level apprenticeship in order to give information, knowledge and library workers an opportunity to develop their skills on the job. Both the Level 3 and Level 7 apprenticeships have been carefully developed to help create diverse routes into, and through the profession.

Both the Level 3 and Level 7 programmes have been developed by employer-led Trailblazer groups, helping to ensure they are designed to meet the needs of the profession – including promoting equity and filling growing skills gaps.

Jo Cornish, CILIP’s Chief Development Officer, said:

“We consider our story a great case study of success in how a sector can use the apprenticeship offer as a positive mechanism for sector and workforce development. We are deeply concerned about reports suggesting a potential cut to Level 7 apprenticeship funding. Such a change would not only slow the progress of this system but also undermine efforts to diversify our profession and meet workforce needs. We hope the government will make an exception for the profession.”

Get involved, support funding

Write to your MPs – tell your representatives why apprenticeships are key to our vital work and to building our profession. Retaining levy funding will help our sector enormously. CILIP members can use our Connect Toolkit – giving you the tools for your voices to be heard.

You can also join CILIP or tell your colleagues to do so – We can have a strong independent voice because we are member- funded. The larger the membership, the greater the mandate we have. Thank you for supporting this work for the sector with your membership. More members helps us to do more and to have a stronger voice.