The Institute for Fiscal Studies in their recently published Green Budget has warned that the UK government’s apprenticeship targets risks being “poor value for money.” The government has a target of three million new apprenticeships in the five years from 2015-2020 and is introducing an "apprenticeship levy," which is a 0.5% tax on employers’ paybill above £3 million per year. The IFS is concerned that significant expansion of apprenticeships could come at the expense of quality.

Robert Lerman has recently published an opinion piece Do/can firms benefit from training apprentices? on IZA World of Labor. He says “…the costs of apprentice wages, trainer salaries, and courses can be mostly or completely recouped during the apprenticeship itself.” He concludes that, “Like all investments, firm-financed apprenticeships can be risky. But well-structured programs recoup most costs quickly and often can generate very high returns.” Read the full opinion piece.

For further analysis on apprenticeships and training, read:

• Do firms benefit from apprenticeship investments? by Robert Lerman
• Are apprenticeships beneficial in sub-Saharan Africa? by Francis Teal
• Who benefits from firm-sponsored training? by Benoit Dostie

• Measuring entrepreneurship: Type, motivation, and growth, by Sameeksha Desai
• Should agricultural employment in transition economies be encouraged? by Zvi Lerman
• Are overhead costs a good guide for charitable giving? by Jonathan Meer
• Foreign direct investment and employment in transition economies by Saul Estrin
• The economics of employment tribunals by Paul Latreille
• The effects of public sector employment on the economy by Vincenzo Caponi
• Can firms oversee more workers with fewer managers? by Valerie Smeets
• Do institutions matter for entrepreneurial development? by Ruta Aidis

Visit the IZA World of Labor site for more concise, informative, evidence-based articles across the spectrum of labor economics.

• IZA Workshop on Social and Welfare Consequences of Unemployment, March 3-4. In the aftermath of the Great Recession unemployment rates remain high in many countries, with an increasing trend of long-term unemployment. Against this background we are pleased to invite submissions for the IZA Workshop on Social and Welfare Consequences of Unemployment. 
• World Bank Social Protection Labor and Jobs Core Courses, March 6-17. Taking place in Washington DC, the two-week Core Courses will provide an in-depth understanding of the conceptual and practical issues involved in the development of programs on social assistance, social safety nets, pensions, social security, jobs, and migration.
• ILO Productivity and working conditions in SMEs: A course for policymakers, March 13-17. This training course enhances the skills of policymakers and practitioners to assess and design policies to improve productivity and working conditions in SMEs. Held at the International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin, Italy.
• Call for papers: Joint briq/IZA Workshop on Recent Developments in the Economics of Socio-emotional Skills, May 18-19. The aim of the workshop is to bring together a number of junior and senior researchers to discuss their recent empirical research related to the economics of socio-emotional skills. Deadline February 28.
• Call for papers: IZA Labor Statistics Workshop on the Changing Structure of Work, June 29-30. The aim of the 2017 workshop of IZA’s "Labor Statistics" program area is to bring together senior and junior researchers to discuss their recent empirical research related to changes in the structure of work. Deadline February 17.