This study, undertaken in collaboration with IFF Research, was designed to establish the general current levels of investment in Apprenticeships, and, in broad terms, work based learning. This covered both financial and 'in kind' investments made by employers in a number of broad sectors and different sizes of employer. It also sought to inform funding simplification models and implementation emerging from the skills strategy, and to gauge employers' views on their investment and reaction to the planned funding changes particularly for Level 3 for those aged 24 and above and the impact funding arrangements may have on employer investment.

This project built on the IER Net Costs of Training series of studies which provide detailed information about employers' training costs attached to completion of an NVQ or an Apprenticeship, and the means to gauge the extent to which training costs are shared between the employer and the State. Since the mid 1990s, IER has conducted the Net Costs of Training studies on five occasions to provide a tried and tested means of estimating employers' training costs. The method IER has employed over the years has also proved adaptable to changes in the VET environment.
A copy of the report is available here.

In addition, a further study was undertaken as an extension to the Fifth Net Benefits of Apprenticeships which looks at the costs of three broad frameworks delivered within the National Health Service (NHS):

1. clinical support roles (e.g. nursing support roles);
2. business administration;
3. engineering.

These were conducted through 24 employer case studies – principally hospitals /NHS Trusts – which delivered one or more of the above Frameworks. A copy of the report, 'Employer investment in Apprenticeships in the health sector', is available here. The following key findings from this report were presented by Terence Hogarth to NHS employers in London on 6th December, 2012.

Duration:
February 2011 - June 2011

Principal Investigator:
Terence Hogarth

Project Team:
Beate Baldauf

Geoff Briscoe

Lynn Gambin

Clare Lyonette

Chris Hasluck

Faye Padfield

Sponsor:
Skills funding agency

Partners:
IFF Research