Employers

It doesn't have be difficult to find, recruit and train a good apprentice, even for a small employer. There is good advice for employers on the gov.uk apprenticeships website and almost all apprenticeship training companies including your local FE college will be able to help with the recruitment.

Why recruit an apprentice?

Most of the cost of training is covered if you’re an employer with a payroll of less than £3m per year. And if you’re an employer with a payroll of more than £3m, it makes sense to recruit an apprentice because you pay the apprenticeship levy and lose that money if you don’t spend it.

Small employers pay almost nothing for the training, larger employers (payroll over £3m) are already paying the levy - so why not use that money to fund an apprentice?
Evidence suggests that well managed apprentices become loyal employees. You get a more committed and skillful person on your team.
There is paperwork, but a good training organisation will both train employees and take care of most of the associated admin.
It’s a good thing to do. There are lots of young people who want a high quality training alternative to university.

How does the training work?

Training is built around the apprentice standards. Search the standards database for one that is a good fit for your organisation and the apprentice you plan to train. There are now 830 standards - each one describes the knowledge and skills that the apprentice must gain during the apprenticeship. The standard will also set out the assessment requirements. That includes details of the end point assessment that all apprentices must complete.

You can search the apprenticeship standards database here:

Search for an the apprenticeship standard

Who does the training?

You can partner with a registered training provider. Most training providers will do more than just deliver the training. They will also help you create a job description for your new vacancy (if you plan to recruit), find candidates, help with interviewing, do the training and take care of the admin. Recruitment, training and administration doesn’t have to be onerous.

How do I find a good training provider?

A good place to start is your local further education college, so The Sheffield College here in Sheffield or perhaps Chesterfield or Barnsley College. Tell them about your requirements and they may be able to help. They already train apprentices across a range of apprenticeship standards and courses.

What will it cost me to train an apprentice?

It depends on how big your organisation is.

The government (through the Education and Skills Funding Agency) will pay for 95% of the training cost if your annual payroll is less than £3m. You obviously have to pay the apprentice’s salary.

Employers with an annual payroll of more than £3m should already be paying the apprenticeship levy. They pay 0.5% of their total annual pay bill. You use your levy contribution to pay for your apprentice and the cost is spread over the full length of the apprenticeship, paid in monthly instalments.

Will my organisation really benefit if we decide to recruit an apprentice?

There is evidence that organisations that recruit apprentices and commit to developing good training programmes do better.

The gov.uk apprenticeships site says:

92% of companies that have taken on apprentices believe this leads to a more motivated and satisfied workforce
86% said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation
80% have seen a significant increase in employee retention

How do I recruit an apprentice?

Go here next:

https://www.gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice

The main steps are:

Select the apprenticeship standard that is the best fit for your organisation and the job role you want to create.
Find a local training organisation that offers training in that apprenticeship.
Find out what funding you can get.
Create an account - needed to manage funding and recruit the apprentice.
Advertise the apprenticeship vacancy.
Create an apprenticeship agreement and training plan after appointing the apprentice.