Are you making the most out of apprenticeships?
It may be that you are now contributing to the Apprentice Levy introduced in April 2017 (and requiring those with a payroll of more than £3 million to pay 0.5% of their wage bill into an apprenticeship funding pot).
At our recent money saving strategies conference, apprenticeships were a talking point and some employers reported to be using them very successfully in support roles to “grow their workforce” in line with the culture and values of the organisation. There are also some case studies in the DfE guidance where one Principal quotes:
“We like recruiting and training our own staff. We have found that our apprentices, although initially time-consuming, quickly become assets to the organisation. We have been successful in recruiting apprentices in IT support, catering, nursery and administration. We very much offer apprenticeships with a mind for the apprentices to become long-term employees, which I think really helps.”
The government have set a public sector target which means that public sector bodies with over 250 staff must ‘have a regard’ to employing an average of at least 2.3% of their headcount as new apprentices between April 2017 and March 2021. Whether you pay the levy or not, it is worth considering how you can use apprenticeships. Employers who pay the levy can access funding for apprenticeships through the apprenticeship service. Schools that do not pay the levy can still take on apprentices and access co-investment so that they have to pay only 5% of the training and assessment costs.
From 31st July 2020, all new apprentices are reported to require apprenticeship standards which set out core skills, knowledge and behaviour for assessment. These standards are developed by employer groups known as ‘trailblazers.’ Some standards are already available and some are currently in development but for schools will cover roles in teaching, teaching support, management, administration at various levels, catering, facilities, ICT and science support, finance, nursing, early years childcare and information services.
The DfE have updated their guidance with changes to apprenticeship funding rates for all employers. The guide explains the benefits of apprenticeships for your workforce, and how the apprenticeship levy and public sector target apply to schools.
If you have any queries about recruitment, providing a contract for or dealing with apprentices, please get in touch with one of the team on 01924 827869.
References:
https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/
