Who can do an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeship training is available to anyone over the age of 16 who is no longer in full time education. There is no upper age limit to starting an apprenticeship. School leavers cannot start until after the last Friday in June of the academic year in which they have their 16th birthday.
Apprenticeships are a great starting point, but also a good re-starting point if you are returning to work after a career break, or redundancy, or you have reached a point where you feel you need to retrain, and your skills can be transferred to a different career.
The duration of an apprenticeship depends on your current skill levels and the industry of the apprenticeship. Generally, apprenticeships take between one and four years to complete, dependent on the academic level of the qualification. Employers can offer apprenticeships to new entrants or use them to grow talent from among current employees.
What is an Apprenticeship?
An Apprenticeship is an on-the-job training programme that develops an employee’s competence in the key skills they need to perform in their job role. The training is designed to be flexible and meet the needs of each individual, building on their strengths and identifying any areas for improvement. The Apprenticeship programme may involve 1:1 discussion, practical demonstration, assignment work, on the job assessments, online learning, as well as formal taught sessions and workshops. Apprenticeships are increasingly recognised as the gold standard for work-based training and include qualifications that have been co-developed with employers and employer bodies, to ensure their relevance to the sector and to help to address the UKs skills shortage areas.
Do apprentices have to be employed full time?
The minimum duration of 12 months is based on an apprentice working at least 30 hours a week, including any off-the-job training they undertake. If the apprentice works fewer than 30 hours a week, or where a part-time working pattern is needed, it can be agreed with the training provider to extend the apprenticeship accordingly. This could happen with Teaching Assistant apprentices, for example who tend to work, school hours and term time.
What are the benefits of the Apprenticeship scheme to my business?
Skills shortages and staff retention are still among the biggest risks to UK businesses. Apprenticeships can help businesses across all industries by offering a cost-effective route to attract fresh talent and to invest in workforce development. If you have trained staff with the right skills for the job, they can do a wider range of tasks and take on new responsibilities – this can help to reduce skill shortages, minimise staff turnover, improve your customer experience and increase productivity. Over 130,000 businesses across the UK currently offer Apprenticeship training to their employees, with 20% of employers hiring more Apprentices to help them through the tough economic climate. 96% of employers that take on an apprentice report benefits to their business and 70% of employers report higher productivity and improved quality of products / services.
What support does the Employer need to provide to an Apprentice?
The apprenticeship process is combined in a three-way partnership where the employer (line manager), apprentice and training provider work together for success. As the apprentice is a member of your workforce, the Apprentice will follow your normal HR policies and procedures and require access to your specific company induction and line management structures. They will be assigned to an Assessor, who will usually meet with them once a month during working hours, to review progress, coach and support the Apprentice and set new tasks for the month ahead, ensuring that they are making good progress against the required standards.
It’s also important that your Apprentice receives regular direction and feedback from their line manager, for them to improve and implement their skills effectively in the workplace. As part of the package of the apprenticeship training, there will be a need for the apprentice to have 6 hours per week off the job training and this must be recorded. This can be a mix of Training Provider activities and some Employer led. Commitment to this programme will form part of the agreement that is issued under the guidance of the Government funding rules. In practice, these guidelines are useful to ascertain what can be counted within the 6 hours.
Who pays for the training?
The Government or the employer. Since April 2017, employers with a wage bill of more than £3m per year have been signed up to the Digital Account Service, whereby 0.5% of their wage bill is transferred into the Digital Account, through PAYE (sometimes called the levy pot) and this funding can only be drawn down to fund the training of an apprentice. This funding covers the full cost of training for those aged 16 – 18 years and a proportion of the cost for those aged 19 years and over. The employer is expected to contribute to the costs of the Apprenticeship for those aged over 19 years.
Smaller employers, who do not pay the apprenticeship levy share the cost of training and assessing their apprentices with the government; this is called ‘co-investment’. For new apprenticeships starting on or after 1 April 2019 you pay 5% towards the cost of apprenticeship training. The government will pay the rest (95%).
What is the wage rate for an Apprentice?
All apprentices are employed, and most will have a contract of employment for at least 30 hours per week. South Thames Colleges Group advocate paying as much as you can above the minimum rate – this will be an investment in an employee who will become an asset and paying more than the minimum will usually attract a higher quality of applicant.
From April 2026 the minimum Apprentice Wage Rate of £8.00 per hour applies to all Apprentices under 19 years of age and for those over 19 years who are in their first year of learning. As stated, employers may pay above this rate at their discretion.
Apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age if they are aged 19 or over and have completed the first year of their Apprenticeship.
Don’t apprentices need a lot of support?
Apprentices may need additional support in the initial stages, especially if this is their first experience of employment but this is likely to decrease as their skills and confidence grow. Where appropriate, supervision or mentoring can be offered by an existing member of staff wishing to gain experience as part of their development. Skills & Learning offer training to those who will be mentoring an apprentice and we have Learning Support Assistants in the classroom.
Financial support is available to help with the cost of supporting younger apprentices, care leavers and young adults up to 25 who have an education, health and care plan (EHCP).
Do staff supervising apprentices under the age of 18 need to have DBS check?
As apprentices are employed, there is no requirement for the staff supervising them to have a DBS check, however, it is good practice to ensure they have the appropriate skills and qualities to support an apprentice in their new role. For further details please see our safeguarding guide.
