What's Involved

Apprenticeships require a minimum of 30 hours per week, including any off-the-job studies, and can last from one to four years, depending on the level of qualification and timeframe set by whoever developed the apprenticeship. 

All apprenticeships must last at least 12 months from the start date and some apprenticeships require considerably longer timeframes.

You must pay apprentices at least the minimum apprenticeship wage rate. 

The apprentice must be at least:

• school leaving age (16) to get National Apprenticeship Minimum Wage
• aged 25 to get National Living Wage - minimum wage will still apply if aged 24 and under

View current rates here

Apprentices can be paid the apprenticeship rate rather than the age rate if they’re both:

• aged under 19
• aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship

For Example:

An apprentice aged 22 in the first year of their apprenticeship can be paid the minimum Apprentice rate (not age related).
An apprentice aged 22, who has completed the first year of their apprenticeship, must be paid the minimum age related Apprentice rate (rate applicable for a 21 – 24yr old).

You can view the latest Apprentice NI contribution rates for Employers at taxguideforstudents.org.uk

This is a big saving for many employers as most apprentices earn below this level. The average apprenticeship wage is £257 per week for Level 2 and Level 3.

• You will be eligible for a £1,000 apprenticeship incentive payment should you recruit a 16-18yr old apprentice. This is designed to ensure 16-18 years olds are still able to obtain apprenticeships
• In some local authority areas, there may be special arrangements to support 16-24 year old apprentice recruitment
• The Government provides the funds to cover the full cost of the mandatory training required to complete the standard for an apprentice aged 16-18 when you employ under 50 full time members of staff and are not part of a larger group
• If you employ above 50 full-time members of staff, the government funds apprenticeship since May 2017 in two ways:
• If you have a wage bill in excess of £3 million, you will fund your apprenticeship programmes through a levy on your wage bill based at 0.5%. The government will set you up with a Digital account to enable access to these funds and apply a 10% uplift to the overall value.
  Example:   Your annual wage bill = £3 million
  £3million x 0.5% = £15,000 - this will be allocated to your Digital account + a 10% uplift giving a total account value of £16,500
• If you do not have a wage bill above £3 million, are not part of a group which does and you employ above 50 full time members of staff, you will pay 5% of the Apprenticeship national funding band - your fee will range from £75 - £1,350 depending on where your selected apprenticeship programme sits in the national funding bands.
• If you do not have a wage bill above £3 million and are not part of a group that does, you will have to register your organisation with the Digital Apprenticeship Service to open an account and reserve apprenticeship places and funding, you can reserve up to 10 places, each with a 3-month reservation "shelf life" this allows the government to manage the funding with providers on your behalf. Only providers on the government register can deliver apprenticeship training and assessment.

As apprentices are employees, they are entitled to the employer’s normal terms and conditions:

• Paid holidays including Bank Holidays
• Sick pay
• Benefits you offer e.g. childcare voucher schemes
• Support you offer e.g. coaching or mentoring

You must pay your apprentice for all their time on their apprenticeship, to include time spent training or studying for a relevant qualifications or standards, at work and off-site.

Find out more here

If you have a vacancy and you’ve decided to employ an apprentice, the next steps are:

1. Contact University College Birmingham’s central apprenticeships team – you will be assigned a personal apprenticeship adviser to ensure the whole process is as hassle-free as possible 
   
   
2. The University will work with you to promote your apprenticeship vacancy
    
3. Potential candidates will be contacted and, where suitable, interview preparation offered by specialist University College Birmingham teams - applicant details will be forwarded to you for consideration  
   
   
4. Agree programme with University College Birmingham and ensure suitable fund management 
   
   
5. Sign a formal contract for services with the University
    
6. Sign an apprenticeship commitment statement with your apprentice – this provides details of what the employer has agreed to do for the apprentice, including:

• how long the apprenticeship is for
• the training you’ll give them
• their working conditions
• the qualifications or standards they are working towards
• signatures of all parties including parents/guardians of under 18-year-olds