News index

Expert Opinion - Edition 8 Time to Sharpen our focus on Skills

For National Apprenticeship Week 2024, Mark Naysmith — President and CEO for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa at WSP (Patron and Double Gold Member) offers his perspective on the national need to “sharpen our focus on Skills”. “When we...

Transparency and understanding will help the Apprenticeship Levy debate and its potential reform

The Apprenticeship Levy is an area of live debate within the Skills sector, with fact and fiction often coming together to create polarised positions. In this short article, Mark Cameron, CEO of The 5% Club explores the nuances of the...

Reflections on Kickstart – An Expert Opinion from The 5% Club

The 5% Club publishes the latest in its series of Expert Opinions – this time on the Kickstart scheme which closed to new starts on 31 March 2022. The Kickstart scheme was launched in 2020 with the promise to invest £2 Billion to help employers...

The 5% Club provides a submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review

The 5% Club have provided a submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review, which asks for the following to complement the points in our Manifesto for Skills Dear Chancellor, Submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) The 5% Club is...

Non-grads are not second-class citizens

49% of top employers prefer graduate job applicants. On A’ Level results day, it’s about time we stopped telling non-grads that they’re only fit for second-class jobs. I’m a passionate champion of apprenticeships. I’ve long believed that too many...

Virtual Work Experience: a lifeline for career-starters

As The 5% Club outlined recently in its paper We can’t let our young people bear the economic brunt of COVID-19, one of the most severe long lasting impacts of the pandemic could turn out to be its reduction of social mobility and of the...

Fit for the future: using earn and learn to future proof business

“Earn and learn” is the term for a group of routes into and within employment which combine study with practical experience, enabling individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required to pursue their chosen occupation whilst already starting...

Getting apprentices to the finishing line

The 5% Club is hugely supportive of apprenticeships. Our members know that they are an important way of bringing much-needed new talent and fresh perspectives into a business, and of ensuring that skills are being developed according to the...

Small business and the Apprenticeship Levy: 5 steps to success (that won’t cost a penny)

One of The 5% Club’s aims is to support and spread best practice amongst its members and other employers. In this series, we aim to publicise good examples and challenge conventional thinking and approaches. Each edition features member...