TIQPlus Review · Department · Skills & Funding
Skills & Funding
The Growth and Skills Levy, Skills Bootcamps, co-investment rules, levy transfers and the funding-band shifts shaping provider strategy.
How to Use the 2026 Growth and Skills Levy for Short AI Courses
The Growth and Skills Levy has fundamentally changed what you can spend your levy funds on. For the first time, UK employers can use their levy accounts to fund short, targeted AI upskilling programmes — without locking employees into multi-year apprenticeships. Here is what HR Directors and L&D leads need to know to take advantage of it in 2026.
12-Month Levy Expiry: How to Deploy Unspent Funds Before They Return to the Treasury
Apprenticeship levy funds expire on a rolling 24-month cycle. Every month, funds that were paid in 24 months ago quietly disappear back to HM Treasury — whether you have spent them or not. If your organisation is sitting on an unspent levy balance, here is a step-by-step guide to auditing what you have and deploying it into AI leadership training before the deadline hits.
Digital Entitlement: Free Digital Skills Courses for Adults — A Complete Employer Guide
Millions of working adults in England are entitled to free digital skills qualifications right now — and most employers have never heard of it. This guide explains the two tiers of Digital Entitlement, who is eligible, which qualifications are covered, and the practical steps to get your employees enrolled.
Growth & Skills Levy 2026: What Training Providers Need to Know About AI Funding
The Growth and Skills Levy is the biggest structural change to employer-funded training in England for a decade. It replaces the Apprenticeship Levy with a more flexible funding vehicle — and for AI skills specifically, it opens significant new funding routes that did not exist before. This guide covers what providers need to understand, how AI training funding is changing, and what actions to take now.
How to Deliver AI Upskilling as a Skills Bootcamp: Provider Guide 2026
AI is a DfE priority sector for Skills Bootcamp funding in 2025–26, and employer demand for funded AI training is at a record high. This guide covers what training providers need to know about running an AI-focused Skills Bootcamp — from DfE application and funding mechanics to content design, employer engagement, and delivery platform requirements.
The UK Digital Skills Gap in 2026: What Employers and Training Providers Need to Know
The UK digital skills gap is not a single problem — it is two simultaneous problems operating at different levels of the workforce. Understanding the difference, and which funding and training routes address which problem, determines whether your response is targeted or just busy.
The 8-Month Minimum Duration: What the 2025/26 Funding Rule Changes Mean for Providers
From August 2025, apprenticeship minimum duration dropped from 12 months to 8 months — and the way off-the-job training hours are calculated changed entirely. OTJ hours are no longer a percentage of planned programme duration; they are now a fixed figure published per standard. This guide explains what changed, what it means for your programme plans and ILR returns, and the most common misconceptions providers are making when applying the new rules.
Co-investment Rate Changes 2026: What the Jump from 5% to 25% Means for Training Providers
The employer co-investment rate for apprenticeships is rising from 5% to 25% from April 2026 — a fivefold increase in what non-levy employers and levy-exhausted employers must contribute towards training costs. For a standard at the £9,000 funding band, that is £2,250 per apprentice instead of £450. This guide covers who is affected, how to model the financial impact for your employer base, and what strategies providers can deploy to protect pipeline before and after the change takes effect.
Youth Jobs Grant: what training providers and employers need to know
The Youth Jobs Grant is a new employer hiring incentive announced on 16 March 2026 as part of the Government’s £2.5 billion youth employment package. Employers that hire young people aged 18–24 who have been claiming Universal Credit for six months or more receive £3,000 per eligible hire. This guide explains who qualifies, how the grant works, and what training providers should know about helping employer partners access it.
The £2,000 SME apprenticeship incentive: provider guide to the March 2026 grant
The March 2026 youth employment package includes a £2,000 incentive payment for small and medium-sized employers (SMEs) that hire apprentices aged 16-24. The scheme targets 50,000 additional apprenticeship starts and forms part of a broader effort to reverse the 40% decline in apprenticeship starts seen over the past decade. This guide explains who qualifies, how the incentive works in practice, and what training providers need to know to prepare.
Jobs Guarantee 2026: what training providers need to know about the expanded scheme
The Jobs Guarantee has been significantly expanded as part of the Government’s March 2026 youth employment package. Previously covering young people aged 18–21, it now extends to 18–24 — creating 35,000 additional subsidised positions alongside the existing scheme. This guide explains what the Jobs Guarantee is, how it differs from the Youth Jobs Grant and SME Apprenticeship Incentive, and how training providers can position alongside it.
Apprenticeship units explained: the new short training format under the Growth and Skills Levy
Apprenticeship units are short, flexible training courses introduced as part of the Growth and Skills Levy reforms. They sit alongside — not inside — full apprenticeship standards, giving employers and providers a way to deliver targeted upskilling in priority sectors without the minimum 12-month commitment of a full apprenticeship. This guide explains what they are, how they differ from full standards and foundation apprenticeships, which sectors are being prioritised, and what providers need to prepare for delivery.
T-Levels vs Apprenticeships: What Employers and Providers Need to Know
T-Levels and apprenticeships are both government-backed technical education pathways — but they are fundamentally different in structure, funding, employer obligation, and learner experience. This guide covers the key differences and what they mean for employers choosing a training pathway and providers considering delivering both.
Level 7 Apprenticeship Funding: What the Government Cuts Mean for Providers
The DfE’s decision to restrict levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeship standards is the most significant shift in the upper end of the apprenticeship market since the levy launched in 2017. This guide explains which standards are affected, why the policy is changing, who bears the cost now, and what training providers with Level 7 in their portfolio need to do to protect their revenue and adapt their delivery model.
Green Skills Apprenticeships: Standards, Funding, and Delivery in 2026
Green skills are a national priority for the UK government — and apprenticeships are one of the primary mechanisms for building them at scale. For training providers, green skills apprenticeships represent both a significant growth opportunity and a delivery challenge. This guide covers the landscape, the standards, the funding, and what you need in place to deliver well.
Foundation Apprenticeships: Provider Guide to the New Pathway (2026)
Foundation apprenticeships are a new, shorter pathway introduced as part of the Growth and Skills Levy reforms. They are not simply a trimmed-down version of existing standards — they have their own compliance structure, evidence requirements, and funding arrangements. This guide covers what providers need to know before adding foundation apprenticeships to their delivery portfolio.
Apprenticeship Levy Transfer: Complete Guide for Providers and Employers (2026)
Levy transfer allows large employers to direct up to 50% of their unused apprenticeship levy to other employers — including SMEs — to fund apprenticeship starts. For training providers, understanding how transfer works is essential for ILR accuracy, DAS enrolment, and supporting employers who want to use or receive transferred funds. This guide covers everything you need to know.
Managing Employer Levy Accounts: A Practical Guide for Training Providers
Employers often struggle to manage their apprenticeship levy accounts effectively — and when they don't, funds expire unused, programmes stall, and providers lose starts that should have been straightforward. This guide explains how levy accounts work, the 24-month expiry clock that employers frequently miss, the most common account problems that block new starts, and how training providers can position levy planning as a genuine value-add service that builds stronger employer relationships.
Skills Bootcamps: The Complete Provider Guide (2026)
Everything a Skills Bootcamp provider needs to know in one place: DfE funding rules and co-investment rates, the employer guarantee and how to evidence it, DfE outcome reporting requirements, and what the Growth & Skills Levy means for the future of bootcamp provision.
The Growth and Skills Levy: What Training Providers Need to Know in 2026
The Growth and Skills Levy is the UK government's most significant reform to employer-funded training since the Apprenticeship Levy launched in 2017. For training providers, it means a wider funding landscape, new eligible training types, and — if your platform is not ready — a more complex compliance picture. This guide covers what it is, what changes, and how to prepare.