What is an Apprenticeship?
An Apprenticeship is a work-based training programme, which lets your employee learn and earn in a real job, to achieve a nationally recognised qualification at the end of it. As well as teaching practical skills and the underpinning knowledge to go with those skills, it also develops an understanding of the law, which applies to employers and employees.
How will my company benefit?
There are many benefits to you as an employer; the main one is that you will develop competent, motivated and committed employees. This in turn can only improve the levels of customer service delivered by your employees to your customers. What have you got to lose?
Who is Eligible?
To get full government funding for an employee to work towards an Apprenticeship, the employee must:
- Spend more than 50% of their working time in England.
- Have been living in the UK or EEA for the past 3 years
- Have an NI number
- Not be enrolled on another funded qualification
Who is eligible to work towards an Apprenticeship?
Anyone within the workforce of any age is eligible to work towards gaining an Apprenticeship. The main priority is to ensure that the job role they are in allows them to achieve the qualification. A member of our team will check eligibility once an Apprentice has agreed to undertake an Apprenticeship.
How much will it cost and who pays the charges?
If your pay bill is £3 million or less, you do not pay the apprenticeship levy. Non-levy paying employers share the cost of training and assessment of their apprentices with the government. This is called co-investment. Under co-investment, you pay 5% of the cost of the apprenticeship training. The government will pay the remaining 95% up to the funding band maximum.
What are my responsibilities as an employer?
You will have to ensure that all legal requirements in terms of Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and working hours are met.
Be available for feedback sessions after assessments and also be available for at least 30 minutes to complete a review every 12 weeks.
The Apprentice is required to complete 20% off the job training during work hours. Please contact us for more information on this.
How long does it take?
A fully funded Apprenticeship is a minimum of a yearlong course; an Apprentice is required to commit to a minimum of 12 months in order to achieve the Apprenticeship. An Advanced Apprenticeship can take anywhere between 15 and 18 months.
How often does the Assessor visit?
The Assessor will visit the Apprentice once a month and the assessments may last for up to 2 hours.
You will need to sign an agreement to say that you agree that the Apprentice can be released from their duties during these assessments.