Existing employees

Apprenticeships are an ideal way to upskill your current workforce. If you have full-time staff over the age of 16 who do not yet have a relevant qualification in the area they are working, you can access training for them through the Apprenticeship route (subject to eligibility).

New recruits

Apprenticeships are also a cost-effective way to attract fresh talent. If you would like to employ a new member of staff as an Apprentice, we can help. We offer a free recruitment service, ensuring only the best candidates are selected for interview. There is no upper age limit for those looking to start an Apprenticeship.

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How do I employ an Apprentice?

If you would like to recruit a new employee as an Apprentice, we provide a free recruitment service that will support you to advertise your vacancy, shortlist applicants as well as help with assessment and interviews.

Once you have selected a candidate, we will arrange the Apprenticeship Training and provide you with ongoing support from an assessor who has knowledge and experience of your industry.

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Apprenticeship Reform

The Government has reformed the way in which Apprenticeships are delivered and funded in England. Its ambition is to increase the number of high-quality Apprenticeships that meet the needs of employers. As part of the reforms Apprenticeships are more rigorous, better structured, independently assessed and more clearly aligned to the needs of employers.

The reforms address the skills shortages reported by many industries and help to keep the UK internationally competitive. Most importantly, Apprenticeships offer high quality opportunities for people to develop their talents and progress their careers.

New Apprenticeship Standards

Under the recent Government reforms of Apprenticeships, new Apprenticeship Standards will replace the old Apprenticeship Frameworks. Some of these new Standards are already available for delivery, so at present, there is a cross-over period. However, once a new Standard is in place, the outdated Framework, which it replaces, will be phased out. The full switchover is expected to be complete by 2020, although this date is subject to change.

Each programme will now have its own new Apprenticeship Standard linked to a specific occupational level. The new Trailblazer Apprenticeships which are defined by these new Standards are rigorous, challenging and require the Apprentice to undertake a minimum of one year’s training. The new Standards are characterised by the introduction of an end-point assessment, replacing mandatory qualifications.

As part of the implementation of the Government’s Apprenticeship Reforms, the way Apprenticeships are funded has changed too. They have introduced the Apprenticeship Levy, which puts employers ‘in the driving seat’ in terms of designing Apprenticeships in England.