Frequently Asked Questions - Apprenticeships

 

Yes you can, so long as the training meets an approved apprenticeship standard or framework, the training provided allows your employee to acquire substantive new skills and the content of the training is materially different from any prior training or a previous apprenticeship. This same rule applies for employers seeking to put employees on an equivalent or a lower level qualification than that they have already achieve.

 

You can outsource the employment and/or management of your apprentices. We will work with you to design your organisational strategy for apprenticeships, highlighting the opportunities for talent management, succession planning and the diversification of workforce, which the levy brings. And from an employment point of view, you can place your apprentices on our headcount. This means that we will take full responsibility for the payroll, sickness and absence, progression planning, appraisals and mentoring. 

 

Yes it can be. For example, an organisation looking to develop an employee on a Leadership and Management Level 5 at a cost of £9,000 can access this cost as funding from their Levy Pot by undertaking an Apprenticeship Leadership and Management (18 months duration delivered on-site).

 

Instead of training using a Foundation Degree in Chemical Science at a cost to the business of £21k the training could be turned into a Laboratory Scientist Apprenticeship allowing you to use up to £27k from the levy pot.

Rather than train using a Process Technician NVQ QCF Level 3 at a cost to the business of £20K+ you could put your employee on a Level 3 Process Technician New Standard Apprenticeship allowing you to use up to £27k from the levy pot.

 

Levy paying employers will be able to reclaim their contribution via their digital voucher. This voucher will then be used to “pay” for Apprenticeship training and assessment. Non levy payers will still be able to access Government funding, but will not have a TAS account from day one.

 

Funds will expire 24 months after they enter an employer’s digital account unless they are spent on apprenticeship training. This will also apply to any top-ups. 

 

The Government has said that digital vouchers can be used for apprenticeships for all ages, types and sectors, using any approved Standards or existing SASE frameworks, and should be used to purchase training, assessment and certification. Apprenticeship Standards developed by the SIP Trailblazer programme are replacing the current Apprenticeship Frameworks, which will gradually be withdrawn. In the science industries the following Apprenticeship Standards and associated assessment plans have been published via the Life Sciences & Industrial Science Trailblazer Group:

• Laboratory Technician

• Science Manufacturing Technician

• Science Industry Maintenance Technician

• Laboratory Scientist

• Leadership & Management

• Accountancy

• Law

• IT

• Business Admin/Customer Service

 

See the 'Apprenticeship funding: rules and guidance for employers' published by the Skills Funding Agency and "Apprenticeship funding: how it will work" from the Department for Education.  

 

The EEF have also produced a useful video which can be seen below...