Employer guide to apprenticeships
Our apprenticeships are a 15-24 month investment in the transformation of your business functions. This guide explains what apprenticeships are, how they are delivered and your responsibilities as an employer of an apprentice
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a paid job where the employee learns and gains valuable experience. This involves the employee being on a training programme that usually lasts at least 15 months (including the assessment period).
They must spend a dedicated number of hours, generally around 20% of their working week, completing training with an accredited provider. That’s the part we look after.
Apprentices are entitled to the same benefits and have the same rights as other employees. This means they receive:
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A salary, paid at the same time as everyone else
- The same incentives and perks
- The same entitlement to paid sick leave
- The same number of holidays as other employees on similar contracts
Each apprenticeship is a practical course that helps the employee learn about a profession. They will combine their activity with us with real-world experience in the workplace to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Why should I add an apprentice to my team?
Hiring an apprentice is a productive and cost-effective way to grow the skills within your business. Their training closely matches the role, the needs of the immediate team and those of the business as a whole, enabling you to expand and upskill your workforce.
You can hire someone new or upskill a promising existing employee. As an employer, you can also receive government funding to cover all or most of their training costs.
Apprentices can be at different levels, from school leavers to university graduates, to individuals looking to further their careers or change direction completely.
Figures from apprenticeships.gov.uk state:
- 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation
- 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity
- 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service
There are close to 700 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery by Skills England. They exist in many professions and the likelihood is if you are looking to recruit or provide training for a member of staff there exists a standard which covers that job role.
We offer apprenticeships in sales, marketing, and communications as well as specialist government professions. See the full list of standards and levels available.
Funding and incentives
The cost of an apprentice varies depending on the specific apprenticeship and the funding available to you depends on the size of your organisation.
If you pay the apprenticeship levy
Businesses with a payroll over £3 million per year are required to contribute to the apprenticeship levy. The levy is mandatory and is charged at 0.5% of your annual pay bill. The government adds an additional 10% to your levy account.
25% of your levy funds can also be transferred or ‘gifted’ to support smaller, non-levy organisations with funding apprenticeships. This can be done through your Apprenticeship Service account.
If you do not pay the apprenticeship levy
If your business does not pay the levy, the government will fund the training for apprentices aged between 16 and 21 years at the start of their apprenticeship. For older apprentices, you will need to pay 5% of the total training cost, with the government covering the remaining 95%. You will pay JGA directly according to an agreed schedule.
All organisations
You will need to register for an apprenticeship service account so you can manage your apprenticeship funds online (and if you are a non-levy payer, to reserve funds). For more help with this, see our guide on connecting your account to use JGA as a provider and the video guides from the DfE.
Whether you pay the levy or not, you will be responsible for all associated costs for the apprentice, who should have the same terms as a regular member of staff, with the exception of their wage.
Apprentices must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. There are different rates of pay for apprentices, depending on their age and the year of their apprenticeship they’ve completed.
We strongly advise paying more than the minimum. Our experience shows that staff paid the bare minimum rarely stay for long and it signals that the apprenticeship is not valued.
Apprentices should be paid for:
- Their normal working hours
- Participating in any training that is part of the apprenticeship
- Time spent studying for English and Maths, if required
More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice/pay-and-conditions-for-apprentices.
Current training costs
All apprenticeship standards are listed on the Skills England website. These explain the current training costs for all approved standards and are a useful guide to the overall cost of the apprenticeship.
If you are ever in doubt, speak to us, and we will let you know the cost to your business. This can vary depending on the apprentice’s previous experience, which is covered in more detail in the section on Skill scans and prior learning.
Incentives
A £1,000 cash incentive is available to all employers, regardless of turnover size, if a newly recruited apprentice is aged 16–18, or is aged 25 or below and has an Education, Health & Care plan or was previously in care.
Employers of apprentices under the age of 25 will also no longer be required to pay secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions. This represents a saving of up to 13.8% on everything the apprentice earns over £8,840 per year.
There are also occasional incentives from the government for businesses that recruit an apprentice. We will inform you of these when they are announced.
How does an apprenticeship work?
An apprenticeship is made up of three different stages.
We deliver the on-programme delivery phase, which includes teaching and training to support the apprentice’s development.
Gateway to Completion is where the apprentice, employer and JGA confirm readiness and competence against the requirements of the apprenticeship.
Finally, apprenticeship assessment is an independent check and test of competence to confirm the award of the qualification.
Functional Skills (English and maths)
Apprentices between the ages of 16-18 at the start of their apprenticeship, must have achieved at least Level 2 in English and maths (equivalent to grades A-C or 4-9 in GCSE) by the time their training ends. If they do not have these qualifications at the start of their apprenticeship, or cannot evidence that, they will need to study functional skills alongside their training.
Apprentices who are 19 or over, and do not already have a level 2 qualification in English and/or maths, have the option to study for a functional skills level 2 qualification, as long as their employer agrees.
We understand that functional skills can often be difficult for apprentices and a pain point for employers. Therefore, we have developed a provision tailored to meet the individual needs of each apprentice, which has very high satisfaction rates among apprentices and our employer partners. The course typically lasts 12 weeks and combines live remote seminars with self-directed study.
Off-the-job training
Apprentices need to spend around 20% of their time completing learning activities that are not part of their day-to-day job role. This is called off-the-job training. The total hours required are referred to as the planned hours and each standard has a specific number of minimum hours that must be completed.
As you would expect, off-the-job training will include learning resources and activities provided and delivered by JGA, but it can also include learning opportunities that arise naturally within the workplace.
Examples of off-the-job training include:
- Attending a classroom or online seminar as part of their apprenticeship
- Doing independent research into their subject area, through activities such as watching videos, listening to podcasts or reading
- Attending webinars with external companies
- Participating in work shadowing, mentoring or site visits
To qualify as off-the-job training, activities must:
- Be directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard
- Teach new knowledge, skills or behaviours
- Take place during the apprentice’s normal working hours
Off-the-job training can take place in the apprentice’s usual workplace, at home or at any other location. Studying for an English or maths qualification at Level 2 does not count as off-the-job training.
We will advise and guide apprentices through the process of logging off-the-job training, helping them map their activities to their apprenticeship standard to ensure that everything they do is counted towards their qualification.
This is recorded in an online portfolio system called OneFile, which tracks the apprentice’s progress against the planned off-the-job hours they need to complete.
KSBs – Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
All apprenticeship standards outline the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) that an individual in the relevant occupation is expected to demonstrate. An apprenticeship, therefore, upskills an apprentice over the duration of the on-programme delivery, enabling them to become competent and confident in demonstrating these KSBs. The apprentice must be able to demonstrate all of the KSBs by the end of the programme to successfully achieve the apprenticeship.
We develop training programmes that impart knowledge, teach skills, and help apprentices cultivate behaviours that will benefit them throughout their careers. To ensure the success of an apprenticeship, apprentices should have the opportunity to work on and demonstrate the KSBs in their job role. Some apprenticeship standards also include occupational duties that outline the tasks the apprentice should undertake to ensure the KSBs are applied in their role.
Apprenticeship Assessment
When an apprentice has demonstrated all of the knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with their standard, they will be ready for the final assessment.
This is carried out by an independent Assessment Organisation, which assesses the apprentice’s level of competence and assigning them a grade, usually distinction, pass, merit or fail.
To achieve a comprehensive view of the apprentice’s abilities, the assessment typically involves two or three assessment methods, each contributing to the final grade. For example, this could include an exam or multiple-choice test, followed by a work-based project and then a professional discussion about what the apprentice has learned during their apprenticeship.
We work with and coach apprentices to help them feel more confident in writing reports and delivering presentations, so they are not daunted by the assessment. Mock interviews are conducted to assess whether the apprentice is ready before they go to the End Point Assessment.
Some of the common assessment methods include:
Project
In a project, the apprentice completes a significant and defined piece of work. As part of this, they may be required to produce a report or presentation to accompany the work products. The project may be a simulated exercise or a workplace project that addresses the business’s needs. It may then be followed by questioning, discussion or an interview, depending on the standard.
Presentation and questioning
The apprentice will produce and deliver a presentation to the independent assessor on a particular topic. The presentation will then be followed by some questions for the apprentice to answer.
Professional discussion
A professional discussion is a two-way discussion between the assessor and the apprentice. It aims to assess the apprentice’s in-depth understanding of their work through a formal conversation. Often underpinned by the evidence in the portfolio, the apprentice will proactively contribute to the discussion to confirm their competency across the KSBs.
Knowledge Test
Tests are included primarily to assess an apprentice’s knowledge. These may take the form of multiple-choice questions, written responses or a combination of both.
Observation
This will involve the independent assessor observing the apprentice as they complete their normal duties in the workplace. The observation will also include questioning, which may take place during or after the observation.
Our delivery method
We deliver our apprenticeships remotely via Microsoft Teams. This eliminates the need for learners to spend time and money travelling to centres, and enables us to bring together learners from across the country in one digital classroom.
Seminars take place at regular intervals depending on the standard. This could be:
- Once every two months
- Once a month
- Twice a month
All courses are structured with tasks for apprentices to complete before and after each seminar. The work is uploaded to the OneFile ePortfolio system, where it is marked by tutors, who then provide feedback.
Apprentices will have regular 1-2-1 meetings with their designated skills coach, with the line manager invited to join for the first few minutes. The coach will work with the apprentice to develop job skills and prepare them for assessment.
Once a quarter, the apprentice and their line manager will attend a formal progress review with the skills coach or a dedicated progress adviser. This meeting provides an opportunity to update everyone on the apprentice’s progress and address any issues or concerns.
Apprentices use an online ePortfolio system called OneFile to build a portfolio of evidence demonstrating their achievement of the KSBs. It is also used to set tasks, track progress and provide access to virtual learning resources and seminar recordings. Line managers are given OneFile accounts to monitor their apprentice(s) progress and view the quarterly progress reviews.
Prior Learning and Skill Scans
When enrolling in one of our apprenticeships, we assess the prior learning and experience of the apprentice. Through a Skill Scan, we determine the apprentice’s starting point to ensure the apprenticeship is tailored to meet their individual training needs.
All apprentices complete these self-assessments so we can confirm they are studying at the appropriate level for their experience. If a learner already has a reasonable level of knowledge in certain KSBs, they may be able to bypass some assessment elements. In such cases, the training costs for that apprentice may be lower.
Workplace Development Plan
At the start of the apprenticeship, we work with the line manager and apprentice to create a workplace development plan. This document is tailored to each apprentice and outlines how they will make progress towards achieving the KSBs in the workplace.
- Shadowing other teams or members of staff
- Undertaking placements in other departments
- Identifying additional skills needed to succeed in the workplace
The workplace development plan is reviewed regularly by the skills coach and apprentice to monitor progress. During each quarterly review, learners set SMART targets for their learning objectives, which are then reviewed at each meeting.