The Budget, delivered on 11 March, announced an investment of £1.5 billion over five years in capital spending to refurbish FE colleges, and committed to a new £2.5 billion National Skills fund to improve adult skills, which they will consult on in the spring on how best to use. The Chancellor stated that ‘the government will look at how to improve the working of the Apprenticeship Levy’ and that it ‘will ensure that sufficient funding is made available in 2020-21 to support an increase in the number of new high-quality apprenticeships in small and medium sized businesses’. Further information about what was announced in education and skills, with sector comment, can be read here. Despite the announcement of ‘sufficient funding’, this article claims that the Treasury has said there will not be any new funding coming for apprenticeships. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers however has claimed that Treasury and DfE officials have told them that ‘there will be significant funding for additional SMEs’ apprenticeships for the coming year and in the spending review’.
A map visualising regional measures announced in Spring Budget 2020 can be viewed here.