Operators urged to transfer unspent apprenticeship levy

Apprenticeship levy paying hospitality operators are being urged to transfer unspent levy cash to fund training outside of their company.

The Don't Waste: The Future of Hospitality campaign has been launched by HIT Training, supported by UKHospitality, the Institute of Hospitality and the Springboard Charity, to organise the redistribution of apprenticeship funding.

Research from HIT Training has revealed that 65% of levy-paying businesses are unaware that they can transfer 10% of their funds to SMEs or charities in the sector. This will rise to 25% this year.

With £1.3b unspent levy funding in the UK, the training provider believes that companies should redistribute their funds to other organisations in order to help tackle the skills shortage.

Tim Adams, director of marketing and corporate sales at Bidfood, said that the wholesaler would be pledging a proportion of its apprenticeship levy to Springboard.

"We're delighted to be supporting Springboard's training and development initiatives by pledging a proportion of ourapprenticeship levy fund to the charity. Additional capital can make such a significant difference to training capabilities," he said.

"In fact, the 10% of our levy pot being transferred is enabling 15 of Springboard's employees to enrol on a range of apprenticeships, from enhancing the skills of line managers, to supporting business development and programme delivery managers across the organisation."

Institute of Hospitality chief executive Peter Ducker urged other companies who had spare levy capacity to follow suit.

HIT Training managing director Jill Whittaker said: "We want to bring the industry together to utilise its combined resources and support businesses of all shapes and sizes to provide high-quality development opportunities through apprenticeship programmes. Together, we have the power to make real change and protect the future of our industry."