The Dispatches

Facts, sources,
no flannel.

Opinion, data and plain-English explainers on hiring, AI and recruitment law. Every figure checked, every claim referenced, and a few strong opinions along the way.

New · The Levy Issue

Your Levy Is Your Money. In 2026 You Get Less Time to Spend It.

From 2026/27 your apprenticeship funds expire after 12 months instead of 24, the 10% top-up ends, and you pay 25% once your own funds run out. Plus the free training route most smaller businesses never hear about.

5 min · 6 sourcesRead →
For HR leaders

How to Embed Apprenticeships Into Your HR Strategy

The four barriers, how to beat each one, the 2025 and 2026 funding changes and the business case, all sourced. And why the bold ones already have.

7 min · 6 sourcesRead →
The Skills Issue

The Apprenticeship Paradox

Britain has the best answer to its skills crisis sitting on the table, so why won't business pick it up? 946,000 young people out of work, £3.3bn of levy funding lost, 27% of jobs unfilled. All sourced.

12 min · 18 sourcesRead →
The Commons Report · Issue N°01

The View From Outside The Glass

Why Home Counties businesses are struggling to recruit in 2026, 280 applications per role, an 8-week time-to-hire, and a £132k cost per failed hire. Every claim referenced.

14 pages · 28 sourcesOpen the report →
Law & Governance

The EU AI Act: What Recruiters Need To Know

The world's first comprehensive AI law is live, and most modern hiring tech is classified high-risk. Who is caught and what to do now.

21 sourcesRead →
The CV Issue

AI CVs: The Honest, Brutal, Slightly Awkward Truth

The CV gets read in 11 seconds. The machine decides in 3. Facts, sources, no flannel, and a few strong opinions.

9 min readRead →
Opinion · Issue 03

The Recruitment Model Is Overdue A Rethink

A response to a candid post about exclusivity, and the case for changing a model that has barely moved in over half a century.

6 min readRead →
The Ghosting Issue

The Silence That Does The Damage

65% of UK job seekers have been ghosted by a recruiter. 86% say it left them depressed. One recruiter with nine years in the industry is putting their hands up.

12 min · 13 sourcesRead →