Apprentice levy is ‘too restrictive’, says Airbus

By CALUM MUIRHEAD

Updated: 21:51 BST, 5 April 2025

The head of Airbus’s giant factory in Bristol has called on the Government to make it easier for smaller businesses to hire apprentices, saying the apprenticeship levy was too ‘restrictive’ for many wanting to take on younger workers.

Sue Partridge said Airbus could recruit more apprentices, but needed its ‘whole supply chain’ to train new workers.

However, smaller firms ‘can’t necessarily afford’ to take on apprentices, she said, due to ‘the way things are structured’ with the apprenticeship levy, a 0.5 per cent tax on the pay bill of employers with an annual wage bill of over £3 million.

Many firms have said the levy can only be used on specific types of training and they find they cannot access the cash.

Spreading its wings: Airbus employs more than 10,000 people in the UK, many at its factories in Filton in Bristol and Broughton in North Wales

Partridge, who joined Airbus as an apprentice in 1989 as the only woman in a cohort of 100, said: ‘Thousands apply to our apprentice schemes. If we could pass some of these high calibre candidates to others that could be a win-win.’

She also said the levy could ‘reskill’ existing staff, adding: ‘The people who have been with us for a while need to understand new technologies.’

Airbus employs more than 10,000 people in the UK, many at its factories in Filton in Bristol and Broughton in North Wales, which make wings for its passenger aircraft.

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Apprentice levy is ‘too restrictive’, says Airbus

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