Managers Guide to Apprenticeships

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An apprenticeship is a job with an accompanying learning programme. An apprentice is employed by you, under a contract of employment, enabling them to earn and learn at the same time, gaining hands-on experience in the workplace whilst also gaining valuable work-based skills and qualifications. An apprentice is employed full-time by you and must be provided at least 6 paid hours during the work week dedicated to working towards their apprenticeship qualification. 

There's a common misconception that apprenticeships are only for people below a certain age who apply directly for an apprenticeship vacancy with a new employer, but this isn't the case. Apprenticeships are also a great way to facilitate growth and development within your current workforce and there is no upper age limit to do one.

The apprentice must:

• be 16 or over (there is no upper age limit)

• not already be in full-time education

• live in England

 If you're considering offering an apprenticeship, you might initially want to initially consider whether you have any suitable internal candidates or whether you might need to hire a new member of staff:

• Start an existing member of staff on an apprenticeship
  • Recommended  if an employee moves into a job role where they need significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours to be occupationally competent, if existing staff are looking to grow and develop their careers or you are looking to diversify your business.

• Recruit a new member of staff as an apprentice
  • Recommended  if you have an apprenticeship vacancy identified but no current staff members the position would be suitable for.

Every apprenticeship has a set duration of time, some are 14 months others can be up to 4 years dependant on the level of the apprenticeship. 

There are a variety of levels of apprenticeships, ranging from a Level 2 through to a Level 7.

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• Ensure the apprentice has a genuine job; this means the apprentice has a contract of employment which is long enough for them to complete the apprenticeship successfully (including their end point assessment)
• Ensure breadth of job role to be able to gain the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard
• Meet the cost of the wages for the apprentice; this includes the time they are in work and in off the job training
• Provide appropriate support and supervision to carry out their job role

You must agree and sign an ‘Apprenticeship Agreement’ with your apprentice. 

This will set out the details of the apprenticeship including:

• The training provided within the apprenticeship, including any qualifications they will achieve
• Length of apprenticeship
• The total number of ‘off the job’ training (hours) required
• The place of work

You must agree and sign a ‘Training Plan’ with your apprentice and the training provider. 

This will set out the details of apprenticeship including:

• The dates the apprenticeship is due to start and planned to end
• The normal working hours and a calculation to show the required off the job training hours
• A description of any prior learning the apprentice has undertaken which is relevant to the apprenticeship standard
• An individual learning plan for the delivery of the off the job training – including content and schedule
• What the apprentice, employer and training provider will offer & what they can expect from each other
• Confirmation the apprentices will be supported by the employer to undertake off the job training within normal working hours, in addition to Maths & English training (if requIRED)