ASCL Senior Advisor Anne Murdoch provides details of the government’s new incentives for employers to take on apprentices.

Apprenticeships

Covid has impacted on many areas of education and training over the last year but those seeking apprenticeships have been impacted more than most, as employer vacancies fell and apprentice redundancies became a reality. The government responded by introducing new incentives for employers to take on new apprentices.

Incentives

In the last few months, the government has issued new details of incentives for all employers wishing to recruit apprentices. Currently (from 1 April and until 30 September 2021), the incentive payments are £3,000 per apprentice of any age taken on before September 2021. The incentive payment can be applied for from 1 June 2021.

The payment, which is only for new apprentices who joined the organisation from 1 August 2020 to 30 September 2021, can be used to support costs such as travel, uniforms and equipment, and does not have to be paid back. It does not apply to apprentices taken on before 1 August 2020.

Funding

On top of employer incentives, training providers receive funding for training if the apprentice is employed in a small company and employers who pay the levy use that to pay for training and assessment.

Some apprenticeship standards also attract small grants, such as those from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) – for CITB-registered employers – for additional short courses of training in areas of construction.

All apprenticeship standards are allocated a funding cap paid over the period of the standard. The payment is based on the value of the standard (minus any costs associated with the recognition of prior learning) and split across the programme duration, which can range from at least 12 months to four years in some cases. Funding is reduced by 20% for achievement payments paid on completion.

Process

The types of apprenticeship roles are many and varied and include jobs in education, such as those supporting teaching and learning, including teaching assistants, learning mentors and early years educators; those supporting business, such as an assistant accountant and business professional; and those supporting technical areas of an organisation, such as in a library, digital marketing and laboratory technician.

It is important to remember that the apprentice needs a mentor and is entitled to 20% of time off the job training. If the apprentice is under 18 then there may also be safeguarding issues to consider and details of all this will be provided by the college or apprenticeship training provider.

If the apprentice is aged 16–18 or under 25 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan or is a care leaver (where there is a one-off payment of £1,000), the incentive payment is in addition to the £1,000 that employers receive for taking on the apprentice.

To help smaller employers, some local authorities have a pool of apprentices who might be available for some types of work.

You will need to set up an apprentice service account and reserve funding on the Digital Apprenticeship Service (accounts.manageapprenticeships.service.gov.uk/service/index) to begin an apprentice and to apply for an incentive payment (www.gov.uk/guidance/incentive-payments-forhiring-a-new-apprentice).

If you are interested in taking on an apprentice, or if you have taken one on since August 2020, you may also be able to claim a payment that may cover some of the initial costs. Get in touch with your local college or apprenticeship provider, where staff will be willing to help, both with an explanation of the funding and incentive payments and with details about employment and training for an apprentice.

Conclusion

Apprenticeships offer a great opportunity for existing employees and for organisations with suitable vacancies. They can enhance an organisation’s workforce skills, assist with innovation and creativity, bring new perspectives to solving problems and boost diversity in the workplace. With unemployment high among younger people because of Covid and lockdown, there is no shortage of people wanting to take on roles with training, such as apprenticeships. Now is a good time, if you have a vacancy, to think about the skills opportunity an apprentice can bring to your workforce, along with opportunities to widen inclusion.

For more information, visit the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) website (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/educationand-skills-funding-agency) or the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website (www.instituteforapprenticeships.org) or get in touch with your local college or apprentice training provider.

The government has also recently published a guide for apprenticeship providers that may also be of interest; see www.gov.uk/government/publications/providerguide-to-delivering-highquality-apprenticeships

Dr Anne Murdoch OBE
ASCL Senior Advisor, College Leadership
@ascl_uk

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