Neil Withey from EEF confirmed to speak at Apprenticeship Levy and Public Sector IR35 conference 9th February 2017, London

This year sees the introduction of some of the most radical changes to affect the recruitment and contracting sector in recent years. As a result, the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (ARC), the professional trade association representing recruitment consultancies across all sectors, is hosting a full day conference in London on 9th February, bringing together keynote speakers, including Neil Withey, Training & Development Divisional Director from the manufacturers’ organisation EEF.

Commenting on Neil’s confirmation as a keynote speaker, Adrian Marlowe, chairman of ARC said “There is no doubt that the Apprenticeship Levy will have an impact and ARC is aware that its concerns over the changes are not restricted to the recruitment supply sector. I am therefore delighted that Neil Withey from the manufacturers’ organisation EEF has agreed to speak at our conference and I look forward to hearing him highlight the impact that the Levy might have on traditional or real apprenticeships.”

Confirming his attendance at ARC’s conference, Neil Withey said “One of the key employment issues that will be taxing the manufacturing sector in 2017 is the Apprenticeship Levy. EEF has been campaigning to get our members’ views and concerns about the impact and operation of the levy across to government. Although we have had some wins, there are still gaps to be filled and hurdles to be cleared. I am therefore delighted to be able to share EEF’s concerns with an audience of recruitment experts and hirers”

Marlowe continues “In addition to the Apprenticeship Levy, the conference will also include a seminar on the new Public Sector IR35 rules which herald a new era, with agencies and hirers set to meet the tax liabilities of their contractors. The seminar will explore how the new rules will affect flexibility in the UK workforce and how will the proposed HMRC online tool work.”

Keynote speakers

In addition to Neil Withey, other speakers include:

· Mark Bull, Chief Executive Officer at Randstad UK, one of the UK’s leading specialist recruitment consultancies

· Adrian Marlowe, Chairman ARC

· Ben Grover, Senior Legal Consultant Lawspeed

ARC has also invited representatives from the FE sector as well as the CBI and HMRC and is awaiting confirmation.

Full details about the conference can be found by visiting www.arc-org.net/events/public-sector-ir35-and-the-apprenticeship-levy-national-conference/