Apprenticeships

Employing an apprentice can:

• Increase productivity - Apprenticeships deliver real returns for your business by increasing productivity. Appointing an apprentice is more cost effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower overall training and recruitment costs.
• Keep your workforce motivated - Apprentices tend to be motivated, flexible, and loyal to the company that has provided them with the apprenticeship opportunity. An apprentice is with you because they want to be. They have made an active choice to learn on the job and commit to a specific career.
• Fill your skills gaps - Apprenticeships deliver skills designed around your business needs and provide the skilled workforce you need for the future. Apprenticeships also help you develop the specialist skills your staff required to help your business keep pace with the latest working practices in your sector.

These are work-based training programmes designed around the needs of your business, leading to nationally recognised qualifications for the individual. You can use Apprenticeships to train both new and existing employees.

An Apprenticeship Standard will state the component parts of the programme, which usually include the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviour for that occupational role.

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Entry requirements can vary for different apprenticeships e.g., to undertake the Nurse Associate Apprenticeships, the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) stipulate selection, admission, and progression requirements for entry to approved nursing associate programmes.

However, the most important aspect to consider is that it is essential that you have a role for your apprentice to fulfil, you will be responsible for paying the salary for this candidate which, at the end of the apprenticeship can be offered as a substantive post, building your workforce for the future.

Anyone over the age of 16, who is not in full time education, can apply to be an apprentice.

Apprenticeships enable employers to select the most relevant apprenticeship for the requirements of the job role, therefore providing a clearly defined progression pathway.

Once the Apprentice has reached the end of their apprenticeship programme, another organisation (separate from the Training Provider organisation) called the End Point Assessment Organisation, will assess the apprentice, usually using two tests and they will provide a final grade.

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An Apprenticeship Agreement which includes details of the occupation, trade or skill the apprentice is being trained for, the name of the apprenticeship that they are working towards, the start and end dates, and the amount of training that they will receive, must be signed by the Apprentice.

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A commitment statement must be in place from the beginning of the apprenticeship, setting out the training content an apprentice will receive, and which elements count towards the off-the-job training. The apprentice's evidence pack needs to demonstrate what training has been delivered against the commitment statement.

A modern-day apprenticeship requires a minimum of 6 hours off the job training. Which equates to, on average only one day a week is spent training. The other four days are spent working in your business.

However, there are many different models of delivery in relation to meeting this minimum of 6 hours (depending on the occupationally area) it is therefore always advised to discuss this delivery model, with your chosen Training Provider, at the start of any apprenticeship. This may be smaller blocks of time, spread across the week, for example.

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Please note that anyone can start an apprenticeship, at any point in their life, whatever their age, background, or career level.