As part of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the government has confirmed that it will continue to meet 95% of the apprenticeship training costs for employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy and it will deliver several apprenticeship system improvements for all employers. These include:

• an enhanced recruitment service by May 2022 for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping them hire new apprentices 
• supporting flexible apprenticeship training models to ensure that apprenticeship training continues to meet the needs of employers. By April 2022, the government will consider changes to the provider payment profiles aimed at giving employers more choice over how the apprenticeship training is delivered, and explore the streamlining of existing additional employer support payments so that they go directly to employers
• introducing a return-on-investment tool in October 2022 to ensure employers can see the benefits apprentices create in their business.

The government has also confirmed the extension of the £3,000 apprentice hiring incentive payment for employers until 31 January 2022.