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JANUARY 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO SKILLS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Mercedes-Benz
publishes
van driver
safety guide
Mercedes-Benz Vans has launched a free Driver Safety Guide
to support van drivers throughout the winter months.
Get ready for
apprenticeship
levy in 2017
A not-for-profit employer-led skills
organisation has welcomed clarity from the
government on its new apprenticeship levy.
The Science, Engineering,
Manufacturing and Technologies Alliance (Semta)
- which represents 146,000
employers in the advanced
manufacturing and engineering sector - said it was vital
all sides now work together
to make sure implementation
of the levy is fair, workable
and affordable.
Chief executive of Semta Ann
Watson said: “We now know the
apprenticeship levy is 0.5% - the
first rate suggested by Professor
Lady Alison Wolf in her report
on vocational education. We will
be consulting with the employers
we represent and support them
in every way we can ahead of its
implementation in 2017.
“While £15,000 to offset the
impact on employers is to be welcomed it is important to note, with
the levy affecting employers with
a wage bill of £3 million or more,
many SMEs could end up paying
the levy and not just the big businesses as has been suggested.
“The detail of how it will work
needs to have employers at its
heart so we support the creation
of a business-led levy group to
work out how the levy is put into
practice and stand ready to play
our part.”
Semta believed, she said, that the
AME sector should take full ownership of the levy to help deliver
the 800,000 new entrants needed
between now and 2020.
‘The money is intended
to help create
more high quality
apprenticeships to
help the government
meet its target of
three million new
apprenticeships in
this parliament’
She said: “An apprenticeship
in our sector provides a direct,
rigorous and effective pathway to
a career. The money is intended
to help create more high quality
apprenticeships to help the government meet its target of three
million new apprenticeships in
this parliament – we need to make
sure that is what happens at a rate
employers can afford.”
Available from any
Mercedes-Benz van dealer,
or free to download from
www.mbvans.co.uk/
industryinsight, the Driver
Safety Guide offers guidance
and tips on maintenance
and driving during the winter
period, with a handy walletsized card to keep with a
reminder of the MobiloVan
free roadside assistance
cover contact numbers in
the event of a breakdown or
accident.
Steve Bridge, managing director,
Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: “We are
passionate about safety, which is
why our vans are cited as some of
the safest on the road thanks to
their innovative technology.
“However, a vehicle is only ever
as good as its driver, so we believe
driver education is vital. This is specifically why we created our Industry
Insight series, so that we can share
knowledge and best practice.
“A responsible driver will also
aid in reducing vehicle downtime,
which is another major focus for
us. This is vital from a commercial
perspective - a van can only earn
its keep when it’s out there moving on the road!
“I’m very proud to be launching
the Mercedes-Benz Vans Driver
Safety Guide, and although it
contains MobiloVan information,
which is specific for our customers, any van driver can benefit
from the content, so I am especially pleased it is free and open for
anyone to download.”
Source: www.mbvans.co.uk