Work. Earn. Learn.
INTRODUCTION
Hiring an apprentice as a new recruit or upskilling an existing employee is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce within your organisation.
An apprenticeship is a paid job that provides the opportunity to gain industry relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours.
By offering apprenticeships you can ensure the skills developed match your current and future needs. Some of the key benefits are…
• Build a culture of learning and development.
• Higher staff retention and morale.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Offer on the job training in a safe working environment.
CASTLEFORD COLLEGE
WAKEFIELD COLLEGE
SELBY COLLEGE
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group are here to support you! An Apprenticeship Recruitment & Engagement Officer will be assigned to each employer, whose role is to support you throughout the apprenticeship journey by:
1. Identifying the correct apprenticeship standard and confirm that the apprenticeship route is most suitable for your organisation.
2. Support with apprenticeship recruitment if required.
3. Assess candidates to ensure they are suitable and eligible for the apprenticeship programme.
4. Support you with the creation of your Digital Apprenticeship Service Account.
5. Ensure your apprenticeship funding is reserved in a timely manner.
6. All required paperwork to meet apprenticeship compliance is discussed and completed.
7. Ensure you are aware of funding requirements, and these are met prior to enrolment.
8. Provide advice and guidance throughout the journey.
RECRUITMENT
Your allocated Recruitment & Engagement Officer can support you with the recruitment of an apprentice. You would be asked to complete a vacancy template which we would then use to create your advert. Your vacancy is advertised on the government ‘Find an apprenticeship’ website.
We will also promote your vacancy:
» on our website
» on our social media
» to our current students
» to our speculative apprenticeship candidates
• Applications will be shortlisted based on your requirements and provided to you on a weekly basis for review. From there, you would continue with your usual
APPRENTICE CANDIDATES
All apprentice candidates are screened by the Apprenticeship Recruitment Team to ensure suitability and eligibility. every candidate will be required to complete an English & maths assessment.
On occasion some candidates may not meet the entry requirements of the chosen apprenticeship programme; this would be discussed with you by your Recruitment & Engagement Officer.
recruitment processes. We can support with the arrangement of interviews and/ or assessment days if required.
• Your Recruitment & Engagement Officer will keep in regular contact throughout this process and will be on hand if you require any support or guidance.
WHAT DO WE DO AS THE TRAINING PROVIDER?
As part of suitability and eligibility checks we will issue several documents for completion prior to the enrolment onto programme.
Initial documentation:
» Job scan
» Health & Safety questionnaire
» Small employer declaration (if required)
» Candidate application form
» Vacancy template/job description (if required)
We will also require a copy of your Employer Liability Insurance certificate. Prior learning is assessed to establish the correct starting point for an apprentice and to ensure no duplication of learning is delivered and funded. This includes prior education, training or associated qualifications in a related area, previous apprenticeships or relevant work experience.
Candidates will each be contacted to complete these prior to enrolment onto programme. A reduction in funding must be made if the apprentice has relevant prior learning; please note the duration may be affected too.
If a candidate’s prior learning means they do not need to be on programme for more than 1 year then they will not be eligible for apprenticeship funding. Such occasions will be discussed further by your Recruitment & Engagement Officer.
You and your apprentice will be invited to attend a discussion with your Recruitment & Engagement Officer prior to issue of contracts (below) and enrolment. This is a funding requirement for all apprentices enrolled from 1st August 2023.
Contractual paperwork is issued via signable documents for signature to both the apprentice and employer/line manager.
» Apprenticeship Agreement
» Training plan
» Training agreement
Once all steps and signed paperwork are in place, your apprentice will be issued with an enrolment form for completion. Alongside this they will be required to provide a copy of identification and a passport style photograph.
POST-ENROLMENT
A welcome email, including college login details and timetable (if applicable) will be shared with your apprentice following their enrolment. Some may be issued with a first day of learning task which will evidence their start on programme.
• Each apprentice will be designated an assessor, who will contact them within the first four weeks on programme.
• Regular progress reviews will be completed by the assessor with the apprentice and employer. Additional feedback, planning, observations and on-site assessments will also take place during the apprenticeship.
• Attendance alerts are created upon enrolment via automatic email to line manager/mentor.
• We will periodically ask for feedback from employers and apprentices. Apprentices who require English and/or maths as part of their apprenticeship programme will be notified at least six week prior to their required attendance. Both the apprentice and employer will be notified.
• The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group uses electronic portfolio systems. Login details are provided shortly after enrolment, and assessors will instruct apprentices on how to use this.
• An End Point Assessment is a requirement of all apprenticeship standards and is designed to ensure competency of an apprenticeship. These are completed by an external body. Further information can be found at; www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/ employers/end-point-assessments.
• A £1000 government grant is available for eligible employers. Further information on this and eligibility can be found at; www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/ employers/financial-incentives.
CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES
On occasion changes may affect the apprenticeship programme. We would advise you contact your apprentices Assessor or Recruitment & Engagement Officer as soon as possible to discuss these.
An apprentice must be employed continuously throughout the duration of the apprenticeship programme. If the employment is terminated by dismissal or resignation, please inform the assessor and/or Recruitment & Engagement Officer as soon as possible:
Break in Learning
• If your apprentice is absent from work for a period of time you must inform your Assessor or Recruitment & Engagement Officer as soon as possible and PAUSE your Digital Apprenticeship Service account as per the month the break commenced. Do not ‘stop’, only ‘pause’.
• Where no active learning is planned to take place within a calendar month, apprentices may be placed onto a break in learning.
Redundancy
• Apprentices made redundant, who, on the day of dismissal, are within six months of the final day of the apprenticeship practical period or they have completed at least 75% of the apprenticeship practical period, may continue their apprenticeship training without being employed.
• Date employment was terminated.
• Reason why employment was terminated.
• Your Digital Apprenticeship Service account will need to be stopped in the same month the apprentice left your employment.
• Apprentices will have up to 12 weeks to secure alternative suitable employment (if applicable) and will be supported by the assigned Recruitment & Engagement Officer.
Change of Employer
On occasion apprentices may choose to move employer. In these instances, please inform your Assessor or Recruitment & Engagement Officer as soon as possible of this with the date the apprentice is due to leave your employment.
You will be required to stop the funding on your Digital Apprenticeship Service account as per the month the apprentice leaves your employment.
• We will need to be provided with a formal redundancy communication from their employer in order to support apprentices under the redundancy funding rules.
• For those apprentices who have completed less than 75% and remaining training represents a training duration of six months or more, can continue to their apprenticeship programme for a maximum of 12 weeks whilst searching for a new employer.
APPRENTICESHIP FUNDING
• Apprenticeship Funding is dependent on the annual wage bill and number of employees in your organisation.
• If your organisation has an annual wage bill less than £3 million per annum, you will be eligible for at least 95% of the training costs to be funded. If you employ more than 50 employees or your apprentice is aged 19+ you will be required to contribute 5% of the training costs.
• If you employ less than 50 people and you take on an apprentice aged 16-18, the apprenticeship will be fully funded.
• If your organisation has an annual wage bill more than £3 million per annum, you will therefore already be paying into the apprenticeship levy fund via HMRC. This will be used to fund apprenticeship training.
• Further information on apprenticeship funding rules can be found at; www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeshipfunding-rules
DIGITAL APPRENTICESHIP SERVICE (DAS) – FUNDING AN APPRENTICE
The Digital Apprenticeship Service is a government run service that is used to reserve apprenticeship funding, advertise apprenticeship vacancies and manage your enrolled apprentices.
• All apprentice-employing organisations are required to register a DAS account prior to the enrolment of an apprentice. You will require a PAYE reference number to do this which you can apply for through www.gov.uk/register-employer. Alternatively speak to HMRC can support you with this.
• Please register for a DAS Account at; www.gov.uk/sign-in-apprenticeshipservice-account.
• Support on registering your account can be found youtube.com/watch?v=4tb_ vz1iGj0 or speak to your designated REO. Alternatively, the DAS helpdesk is available on 08000 150 600 or helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships. service.gov.uk
• Upon creation of your account, you will be asked to review and approve an ESFA Agreement. Full access to the service will not be permitted until this is approved.
• For non-levy employers’ apprenticeship funding needs to be reserved and approved prior the enrolment of your apprentice. By providing permissions to
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group through the DAS system, we can reserve the required funding on your behalf. All requests will need to be reviewed and approved prior to utilisation of any funding and the enrolment of your apprentice.
• For levy employers we would advise you provide The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group permission through the DAS system to add apprentices on your behalf. These will need to be approved by you prior to the utilisation of any funds.
• Permission can be granted through the ‘Training Providers’ Section on your DAS account home page. Please follow the onscreen instructions. You will be asked to enter UKPRN 10007289, which will identify The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group as the training provider.
GRANTS
Incentive Grants
• A £1000 incentive payment is available for apprentices who are aged 16-18 years old on the date of enrolment or under 25 if candidates have an Education, Health & Care Plan in place.
• This is paid to us in order to pass onto you by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), with checks made at 90days and 365-days of the apprenticeship before payment is made.
• Employers will be required to complete a form with their organisation bank details, so payments can be made by BACS
CITB Grants
If you are a CITB registered employer and meet eligibility rules you can apply for a CITB Apprenticeship Grant. Further information on this and details on how to apply can be found at: www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/ grants-and-funding/apprenticeshipgrants/england-apprenticeship-grants/.
Levy Transfer
Levy paying employers can choose to transfer up to 50% of their Levy funds annually to other organisations. This helps other companies to fund their apprenticeship training and assessment.
transfer within 7-10 working days upon receipt of this information.
• The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group process this grant on the behalf of the ESFA and will contact eligible employers once requested to do so by them.
• Please note that we cannot guarantee that you will receive incentive payments at exactly 90 and 365 days.
If your apprenticeship programme is to be funded by a levy transfer, please inform your Recruitment & Engagement Officer so we can ensure the necessary steps are taken.
Further information on levy transfer’s can be found at; www.gov.uk/guidance/transferring-your-apprenticeship-levy-to-another-business.
DID YOU KNOW?
On average the estimated yearly gain for employers is between £2,500 and £18,000 per apprentice during their training period. Apprentice outputs usually surpass their associated costs, delivering a net benefit to employers during their training.
92% of companies believe a good salary leads to a more satisfied and motivated workforce, 86% helped develop relevant skills to their organisation, 80% have seen a significant increase in staff retention.
There are around 8 millions searches a month on the Find an Apprenticeship website!
LEARNING SUPPORT
We are required under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled (including those with learning difficulties).
All candidates will be given the opportunity to discuss any support needs they may require prior to and post enrolment.
We hope this guide has helped provide further information on Apprenticeships at The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group. If you require any further support please do not heisitate to contact us at apprenticeships@heartofyorkshire.ac.uk or 01924 789469
e: info@heartofyorkshire.ac.uk
w: www.heartofyorkshire.ac.uk