Apprenticeships for Business

With the exciting developments in apprenticeship standards, and incentives available to help towards costs, there has never been a better time to recruit and train an apprentice. Speak to one of our advisors about apprenticeships.

Anyone aged 16 and over who joins your organisation or is an existing employee taking on a new role. There is no upper age limit for an apprentice.

• A free-of-charge recruitment service including vacancy advertising, initial assessments, interviews and pre-screening of all applicants
• Administrative support with processing applications, creating apprenticeship agreements and making grant applications
• A dedicated assessor who will meet with you and your apprentice at the beginning of the programme, and regularly throughout
• Review meetings at least every 10 weeks
• Regular visits from an Assessor to monitor the progress of your apprentice’s training
• Guidance and support throughout the entire process of finding, hiring and training apprentices

Our apprenticeships are designed to ensure our apprentices develop the skills the employer wants, giving them a real advantage in the workplace, with better long-term salary prospects and excellent progression opportunities. Find out more about how our apprenticeships work.

Apprentices have the same working conditions as all employees and need to be paid at least the minimum wage. The current rate for an apprentice is £4.15* per hour (last reviewed April 2020). However, as their skills develop, or when they are able, many employers tend to pay more than the minimum wage.

*This rate is for apprentices aged 16-18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age.

The apprenticeship levy was introduced to create long term sustainable funding for apprenticeships and to give employers more control to provide their staff with a range of training opportunities. Find out more about how the levy works and incentives available to employers.

Your apprentice will be working towards a particular standard. Standards are employer-led, meaning that employers can specify exactly what’s required from an apprentice in each specific role. Standards are occupation-focused, not qualification-led, and outline the skills, knowledge and behaviours (KSBs) required to carry out a certain job role.

The learning happens throughout the apprenticeship, and the apprentice is assessed at the end and ensures that they can carry out all aspects of their job. During their apprenticeship, they will also have the opportunity to develop core skills in areas such as English, maths, ICT and employability whilst gaining experience and credibility in the workplace.