Free Recruitment Support for Employers

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Apprenticeships are government subsidised training programmes.  They allow businesses to train new and existing employees, at heavily discounted rates.  Only government approved organisations who specialise in certain types of training can deliver apprenticeships and they are designed to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours of individuals so that employers have the competencies they need in their workforce.

You may have heard of the apprenticeship levy.  Employers in the UK with a payroll bill of greater than £3 million, pay 0.5% of their payroll cost into a levy pot every year.  These levy funds are then used for training and assessment of apprentices.

Employers who don't pay into a levy pot can request a transfer of levy funds from an employer who does pay into a levy pot.  In this scenario, the receiving employer is treated as a levy payer, until the transferred funds have been exhausted.

If your business pays the apprenticeship levy, the training and assessment costs will be deducted from your levy pot.  The costs for each apprenticeship vary, depending on the level, and the content.

Employers who have a smaller payroll bill and don't pay into the levy pot are required to make a 5% contribution, with the government paying the remaining 95% for all apprentices who are aged 22 or over on their apprenticeship start date.  For any apprentices aged up to and including 21 on their apprenticeship start date, the 5% contribution is waived.

Your apprenticeship training provider will agree the costs for training and assessment with you upfront and this is based on an assessment of the needs of the individual.  

Anyone can be an apprentice, as long as they are employed by a registered business / charity and are paid via a PAYE scheme.  The employer must have liability insurance and be committed to allowing the apprentice time to train and study whilst working.