An apprenticeship is an on the job training programme that develops an employees’ 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 demonstrations, assignment work, on the job assessments, online learning, as well as formally 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.

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.

Quite simply, no!

Apprenticeship training can be accessed both by new recruits and existing staff to improve their skills and performance.

All employees aged 16 years or over can access the training

Quite simply, no!

Employers can take on as many apprentices as they can support.

On 6th April 2017, the Government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy scheme to collect funding from larger employers.

Funding generated by the Levy will be ring-fenced for the delivery of Apprenticeship training for that employer.

Employers are able to use funds generated via the Levy to deliver Apprenticeships internally, or to contract with a Training Provider to deliver the service on their behalf.

Yes you will still be able to access funded Apprenticeships through approved Training Providers. You will however be expected to pay a 5% cash contribution to the costs of the training.

Additional information is available direct from the Department for Education’s website www.gov.uk

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