The 5% Club

The 5% Club welcomes our newest members, Affinity Water, Carter Jonas, Cidori, Citi, Countryside Group, EngineeringUK, FT Construction Group, GBS, KW Engineering Ltd, Matthews & Tannert Ltd, Metro Bank (UK), Port of Tyne, and SE Controls. By joining The Club these organisations are demonstrating their commitment to earn and learn across all sectors and regions of the UK. Great to have you onboard.

📊 Skills England appeared before the Work and Pensions Select Committee on 22 April 2026 - and the session raised some important questions for employers, particularly those running earn and learn programmes. Here are the standout observations: 🔍 Strategically coherent, operationally early Skills England is firmly in a setup phase - building evidence, coordinating across government, and aligning with the new DWP remit. Its move from education into employment policy is a positive shift, with stronger links between skills and jobs. But as committee members noted, much of the language remains: "We should… we are thinking about…" - concrete delivery examples were limited. 🎯 Youth unemployment: urgent but underdeveloped Youth employment was described in the session as "a really bad and complex issue." A clear mismatch was identified: young people feel skilled but unrecognised by employers, whilst employers want work-ready candidates. Gaps in work experience, networking, and visible career pathways are holding progress back - yet specific targets and KPIs were notably absent. 🏭 Employers are central - but engagement remains shallow Employer-led design is a stated ambition. In practice, the current approach relies heavily on sharing best practice and local encouragement. For those offering earn and learn schemes, this is both a challenge and an opening: the system needs employers to step up, yet the mechanisms to support or incentivise that are still being developed. ⚙️ Complexity is the biggest barrier for SMEs With over 700 apprenticeship standards still in existence, the system remains difficult to navigate - especially for smaller employers. The risk of SMEs simply "bouncing off" the system is real. Simplification is acknowledged but unresolved, and the tension between national rationalisation and local flexibility has not yet been reconciled. 📈 The opportunity for earn and learn providers Skills England's focus on Levels 4–6 qualifications, its 10 priority sectors, and its evidence-led approach to labour market gaps creates genuine space for earn and learn employers to shape occupational standards and influence sector plans. Those who engage now - before the system matures - are best placed to benefit. ⚠️ The accountability gap MPs pushed hard on KPIs and measurable outcomes. The responses were high-level. The upcoming annual report will be a critical test of whether Skills England can translate strong analysis into tangible impact. The direction of travel is right. The question is pace - and who helps to set it. Our thanks to FE Week (Shane Chowen) for their live feed covering the session, with more detail here - https://lnkd.in/eM7bm2Jk     #EarnAndLearn #Apprenticeships #WorkforceDevelopment #YouthEmployment #UKSkills #EmployerLed #FutureOfWork

Deadline alert! 🚨 Enter this year’s Top Apprenticeship Employers before 1 May for your chance to gain recognition of your business's commitment to providing quality #apprenticeship opportunities. Make sure your apprentices submit their reviews and apply today: https://ow.ly/mXv150YMoKC #TopAppsEmployers Higherin (Previously RMP Enterprise)

📊 UK Labour Market - April 2026: What the Latest ONS Data Means for Employers The Office for National Statistics has published its latest Labour Market Overview, and the picture is one of cautious recalibration rather than crisis - but the signals matter enormously for workforce strategy. Key observations: 📉 Payrolled employment is contracting. Down 74,000 (0.2%) year-on-year to February 2026, with the early March estimate showing a further fall to 30.3 million - the trend is clear. 🔍 Unemployment has risen year-on-year to 4.9%, even as the quarterly figure edges down. Meanwhile, economic inactivity sits at 21.0% - a significant pool of working-age people disengaged from the labour market entirely. 🏢 Vacancies have hit their lowest since early 2021 - at 711,000, down 29,000 in the latest quarter. Competition for roles is intensifying; competition for talent hasn't gone away. 💷 Real wage growth is nearly flat: regular pay rose just 0.2% in real terms (CPIH-adjusted), meaning workers are barely keeping pace with the cost of living. Public sector growth (5.2%) far outpaces the private sector (3.2%). 🎓 For employers running earn and learn schemes - this is your moment. With inactivity elevated and payrolled employment falling, there is an expanding cohort of motivated individuals who are underemployed, not in education or training, or returning to work. Earn and learn schemes in particular - [foundation] apprenticeships, graduate schemes, sponsored students - offer a structured, cost-effective route to build talent pipelines precisely when the external hiring market is tightening. ✅ Opportunity: Draw from the economically inactive pool before competitors do. Those currently disengaged are not unemployable - many simply need a structured on-ramp. ✅ Opportunity: With real wages stagnant, earn and learn schemes are genuinely competitive - the combination of income, qualification and progression is a compelling proposition for candidates. ⚠️ Challenge: As vacancy levels fall and employer confidence softens, investment in L&D and early talent can face internal scrutiny. The business case for pipeline development needs to be made proactively and evidenced robustly. ⚠️ Challenge: Flat real wages mean retention of learners mid-programme remains a risk if competitors offer marginally higher pay. Progression frameworks and non-pay benefits matter more than ever. The data reflects a labour market at a genuine inflection point. Organisations that invest in growing their own talent now will be significantly better positioned when demand picks up. Source: ONS Labour Market Overview, UK – April 2026 (https://lnkd.in/eDtjjKTm) #LabourMarket #EarnAndLearn #Apprenticeships #WorkforceDevelopment #TalentPipeline #UKEmployment #EarlyTalent #SkillsStrategy

🎓 New Apprenticeship Units Now Launched - What Employers Need to Know Skills England has just revealed (21 April 2026 - https://lnkd.in/ehEAt78n) funding rates and delivery hours for the first wave of Apprenticeship Units - a landmark development as levy funds are used for non-apprenticeship training for the very first time. Now publicly funded to start from 28 April, these short, targeted courses are designed for employed learners aged 19+ where employers have "identified a need to upskill them quickly to meet business needs and remain competitive." They are not intended for those starting a new career - a critical distinction for employers to understand when planning deployment. 📋 The ten units span seven sectors: Green tech (EV charging, Solar PV), Advanced manufacturing (Welding, Electrical & Mechanical Fitting, Battery Manufacturing), Construction (Permanent Modular Building Assembly), and AI Leadership - now expanded to three separate units covering strategy, adoption & governance, and organisational transformation. 💷 Funding rates range from £750 to £3,200, with delivery hours spanning 30 to 140 hours. Non-levy employers are fully funded; levy payers draw from their existing Growth & Skills Levy "pot". For Employers Offering Earn & Learn Schemes - Opportunities & Challenges: ✅ Opportunities: 🔹 Short, flexible units sit neatly alongside existing roles with minimal operational disruption — and green, manufacturing, and AI units directly target sectors facing the sharpest skills gaps 🔹 Fully funded for small employers; AI Leadership units offer a low-cost entry point (30 hours, £750) to build digital capability at management level ⚠️ Challenges: 🔸 The end-loaded funding model risks reducing training provider appetite - the sector has warned it is "not a winning formula" - and no subcontracting means local supply may be limited 🔸 Four weeks' withdrawal notice and a restricted initial provider list make long-term planning difficult; eligibility is tightly drawn to existing employees only 🔍 The direction of travel is clear: publicly funded, shorter, modular, employer-led learning is now here. For organisations already invested in earn and learn models, these units are a natural complement - but the funding mechanics and supply-side uncertainty will require careful navigation. 👀 Worth watching closely as the rollout scales. Source: FE Week - "Revealed: Funding rates and delivery hours for apprenticeship units" (https://lnkd.in/epkT8waE) #Apprenticeships #SkillsEngland #EarnAndLearn #WorkforceDevelopment #LevyReform #GreenSkills #AILeadership #EmployerLedLearning

📉 Are we quietly "Ageing Out" the Workforce? As covered in People Management magazine (https://lnkd.in/eistZDU4), new data from Employment Hero's UK Jobs Report reveals a stark divide: whilst overall SME employment rose 4.9% year-on-year in February, employment among the over-55s fell 5.8%. In consequence, it appears some experienced candidates are now resorting to "CV botoxing" - stripping dates and senior titles from their CVs just to get a fair hearing. Lyndsey Simpson, CEO of 55/Redefined, identifies the root cause: "Automated screening, rigid CV filters and narrow definitions of recent experience often exclude experienced candidates before a human ever reviews their application. Age bias tends to appear early and quietly." Age discrimination claims at UK employment tribunals have surged 50% in the last year (Littler) - and the Women and Equalities Committee has described ageism as "widespread and culturally embedded." 🎓 For employers running Earn & Learn schemes, this matters directly. Many apprenticeships and levy-funded routes still have no upper age limit - yet this demographic is rarely actively recruited. Over-55s bring workplace maturity and transferable skills that enrich blended cohorts. But with 58% lacking confidence they could find a new role within three months, and 25% less confident adopting new technology, programme design and outreach must meet them where they are. The fix need not be complex. As Tracy Riddle of the Centre for Ageing Better notes: "Small steps such as ensuring job adverts are written in a style that appeals to all ages can help broaden the talent pool." Inclusive hiring isn't just the right thing to do - it's a talent strategy. 📖 Mahalia M., People Management Magazine 15 April 2026. #InclusiveHiring #EarnAndLearn #Apprenticeships #AgeInclusion #SMEs #WorkforceDevelopment #OverFifties #HRLeadership

🤖 AI & Early Careers: What the Data Tells Us - and What It Means for Employers A recent report by Jisc, Prospects, Luminate, Hedd and the Institute of Student Employers makes for essential reading for anyone involved in early talent development. "AI is not removing early careers pathways at scale - but it is rapidly changing what 'entry-level work' looks like and what skills are required." Here are the key insights: 📊 The Perception Gap is Real. 34% of young people feel curious about AI, yet 27% feel anxious - and 69% of those who have changed career plans did so out of fear of job displacement. Meanwhile, most employers report minimal actual reduction in entry-level hiring. Closing this gap starts with honest, reassuring communication in your recruitment messaging. 🔧 Tasks Are Shifting, Not Disappearing. Routine admin, basic research and simple content creation are declining in importance. Rising fast: critical thinking, communication, AI literacy and adaptability. Entry-level roles are being redesigned - not removed. 🧠 Human Skills Are the New Premium. Employers are clear: judgement, emotional intelligence, and the ability to work in complex, client-facing situations are becoming the primary differentiators. AI handles the routine; humans handle the nuance. 💡 For Employers Offering Earn & Learn Schemes - This Is Your Moment! The competitive advantage of earn & learn is no longer simply "experience". It is now giving early talent a confident, structured path into an AI-augmented workplace. That means: ✅ Embedding practical AI training from day one - not as an optional extra, but as core literacy ✅ Redesigning roles to include human-in-the-loop responsibilities (prompting, evaluating, refining AI outputs) ✅ Prioritising non-technical learners, who are most at risk of being left behind ✅ Reframing your employer brand: "You will learn to work with AI - not compete against it" The schemes that thrive will be those that build both capability and confidence. 📖 Source: 👇 👇 AI and Early Careers - Making career decisions in an AI-augmented labour market 👇 👇 (Prospects Luminate at JISC / Institute of Student Employers) #EarlyCareerss #EarnAndLearn #AIAtWork #FutureOfWork #Apprenticeships #TalentDevelopment #AILiteracy #WorkplaceLearning #GraduateRecruitment #HumanSkills #EmployerBranding #Upskilling #CareerDevelopment #AIAndEducation #EarlyTalent

📊 Are apprenticeships actually responding to the labour market - or just to government policy? A new analysis by Richard Holliday ("The Impact of Policy Changes on Apprenticeship Starts Since 2006", March 2026 - Gatsby Charitable Foundation) offers a sobering read for anyone involved in workforce development or earn-and-learn programmes. The headline finding is stark: "Policy design - not employer demand - has been the dominant force shaping apprenticeship volumes, structure, and participation." Here are five key observations that stood out for us: 📈 Volume swings are policy-driven, not demand-driven. Starts surged from ~184k (2006/07) to ~520k (2011/12), then fell back to ~337k (2022/23). Employment trends remained largely stable throughout - it's funding reforms that moved the dial, not the jobs market. ⚡ The Levy triggered a ~32% drop. The 2017 Apprenticeship Levy - intended to boost investment - caused stagnation rather than growth. For employers running structured earn-and-learn pathways, this underlines how exposed programme planning can be to regulatory shifts. 🏗️ Volume was prioritised over quality. The biggest fluctuations occurred in short-duration, low-cost programmes (business admin, customer service). Longer, higher-investment programmes like engineering barely moved. A timely reminder that not all apprenticeships are created equal. 👷 50–60% of starts are existing employees, not new hires. Management apprenticeships are nearly entirely (~94%) used for upskilling current staff. The Levy has reinforced this behaviour - employers naturally reclaim what they've paid in. For earn-and-learn providers, this is both an opportunity and a reputational risk - is the model genuinely creating new talent pipelines, or simply rebranding internal L&D? 🎓 Young people are being left behind. Participation among 16–18-year-olds has declined, and Level 2 entry routes have weakened. The school-to-work transition - the original heartland of apprenticeships - is fraying. The opportunity for employers: With reform back on the agenda, those who can demonstrate genuine job creation, progression, and alignment to real workforce need will be best placed to influence - and benefit from - what comes next. The challenge: Policy volatility isn't going away. Building earn-and-learn models that are resilient to funding shifts, and that genuinely serve new entrants as well as existing staff, has never been more important. 📖 Worth reading in full ( 👇 👇 👇 ). Credit to Richard Holliday for a timely and forensic piece of analysis. #Apprenticeships #WorkforceDevelopment #EarnAndLearn #SkillsPolicy #Levy #Talent #LearningandDevelopment #FutureOfWork

⏰ Time is running out - Top Apprenticeship Employers 2026 deadline is 01 May! This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your organisation's commitment to developing talent through outstanding apprenticeship programmes. 📋 To be considered for either the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers or Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers rankings, you'll need to: ✅ Secure the minimum number of apprentice reviews on Higherin (Previously RMP Enterprise) (10 for Top 100 | 1 for Top 50 SME) ✅ Complete and submit your organisation's entry form ✅ Confirm all eligibility criteria have been met ✅ Submit everything by 23:59 on Friday 01 May 2026 Rankings are assessed on apprentice feedback, the quality and scale of opportunities offered, and wider organisational factors - so a strong, well-prepared entry really does make a difference. 🔗 Visit the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers website to submit your entry, download the Tips & Advice Guide, or review the FAQs - https://lnkd.in/eybNufVk Don't miss your chance to be recognised as a leading apprenticeship employer. 🏆 #Apprenticeships #TopApprenticeshipEmployers #Apprenticeships2026 #EmployerExcellence #UKApprenticeships Skills England Department for Education Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)