Did you know that National Apprenticeships Week is celebrated each February? NCF member Claire Sutton has been working with apprentices for about 25 years so took the opportunity to give us an update. She has also written this helpful guide to essential information for employers and potential apprentices, along with lots of links to places to find out more. We hope it’s useful!
What is an Apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a real job so it comes with everything that employment should come with: salary, a contract, holidays, pensions and everything else as relevant or when eligible. But, what makes an apprenticeship different (better?!) than just any other job is that a qualification (at least one) is part of the deal; it’s actually written in to the contract. The employer will pay the apprentice to spend 20% of their time in learning, working with a training provider to achieve those qualifications.
How are they funded?
For the apprentice, it’s free; the qualifications are paid for, plus you’ll be getting a wage and any expenses, in line with your company policy.
For the employer, it depends how many people you employ in England. If your wage bill is over £3 million a year, you will already be paying the Apprenticeship Levy. This is equivalent to 0.5% of your annual wage bill and it goes into a ‘kitty’ to pay for an apprentices you choose to train. It’s held on a rolling three-year basis so you have some time to use it.
If your wage bill is less than £3 million per year – which it is for the vast majority of UK businesses – then the Government will pay 95% of the cost of the apprentices’ training (direct to your chosen training provider). You just have to find the remaining 5%.
What apprenticeships are available?
There are literally hundreds! So many professions have joined the ranks, partly because the ‘earn while you learn’ model allows employers to train their staff as they study but also, I think, because we have extended the academic level of apprenticeships on offer so that suit professional study, too. You can do Degree and Post-graduate level apprenticeships now.
The full list of Apprenticeship Standards (the qualifications) can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships website. The list is searchable and sortable – and there were over 890 listed at the time of writing this article! From Abattoir Worker to Youth Worker, from Early Years Teacher to Ecologist, and from Digital Marketer to Solicitor, there are so many professional areas now covered.
As an employer, how do I get started?
If you’re looking to recruit an apprentice, the place to start is to work out if there is actually a job there. Your apprentice really does need something substantive to do for the long term and an appropriate salary. (You have to find the salary; any Government funding only covers the training costs).
Once you’ve worked out what the role is, have a browse on the Institute for Apprenticeships website to see if there is obviously an Apprenticeship Standard that fits well with it. As you read the Standard, you’ll notice there is a link on the right-hand side to ‘Find apprenticeship training providers that deliver this standard’. Many now deliver nationally so don’t worry if there aren’t any local ones; just pick up the phone to two or three that deliver what you want and have the conversations about how they operate to decide which to go with. (Remember, all Apprenticeship providers are OfSTED inspected so, if you’ve never heard of them, you can read their latest inspection report here). Your chosen training provider can then help you through the set-up and recruitment stages (if you don’t already have a candidate in mind).
What if there isn’t an apprenticeship standard that suits the role you want to recruit for? It’s possible but fairly unlikely, given the choice. But, if that’s the case, it’s worth contacting training providers who deliver apprenticeships in a similar skill area and having a chat with them. They are experts at delivering apprentice training and will know what flexibilities exist to allow an apprenticeship to fit around your role.
As an employer, if you’re not sure about the benefits of recruiting an apprentice, you might find this interesting reading.
How do I apply to be an apprentice?
There are no age limits on being an apprentice so an apprenticeship could be suitable at any point in your career, from school leavers to career-changers. The starting point is to find an employer. Around 90% of all apprenticeship vacancies in England are posted on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) website. It’s free to use – for all – but employers need to have their training plan worked out before they advertise so you can be pretty sure it’s a bona fide role. Of course, vacancies are advertised all year round, not just for September starts, so make good use of the FAA alerts function to make sure you’re kept informed.
The UCAS website does now list more and more Degree Apprenticeships, alongside the full-time Degree course listing, so it’s worth exploring that. However, when it comes to applying, do bear in mind that you can hold limited offers through UCAS and you pay for that service, whereas the Find an Apprenticeship website is free to use and you can make as many applications as you want (within reason!).
It’s worth talking to local training providers who offer apprenticeships in the area you are interested in, as they often have regular employers and may be able to help point you in the right direction. And, of course, don’t be shy about approaching employers direct, or at least following their social media feeds to see if they are recruiting!
Where can I find out more?
As well as the various Government websites already linked in this article, Amazing Apprenticeships have lots of useful information, case studies and videos for young people, for parents and carers, for employers and information for teachers, including some really useful tailored resources for subject-specific staff.
If you’re interested in Higher apprenticeships, including Degree levels, you might want to sign up for the Higher & Degree Apprenticeship listing. It’s a national list, published twice a year (October and January) and gives a flavour of some of the national companies recruiting.
The National Careers Service have general careers advice too. If your apprenticeship application is likely to include aptitude tests, you can find practice tests on the SHL and Psychometic test websites.
And Disability Rights have useful information for potential apprentices and employers.