Apprenticeship Information for Employers

Recruiting new staff – If you need an apprentice in the future you will need to sign up NOW to reserve apprenticeship funding. Full access to The Apprenticeship Service is now available for ALL employers, including levy-payers.

This service allows employers to:
• Reserve their apprenticeship funding
• Select their chosen provider from the Register of Apprenticeship Training

For the most up to date list of incentives and funding available to you, please click here.

Call 01922 657000 or email businesstrainingsolutions@walsallcollege.ac.uk to find out more.

Through The Apprenticeship Service you will now be able to:

• Reserve your apprenticeship funding
• Select your chosen provider from the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) and apprenticeship standard required
• Advertise your apprenticeship vacancy
• Give feedback on the quality of training you receive from the chosen organisation
• Have greater control and visibility over the amount of funding paid to your training provider on your behalf.

You can find more information about The Apprenticeship Service on the government website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-apprenticeship-funds

Find out how to access and open your account here.

Want to find out more about how to set up your Apprenticeship Service account, call our Business Training Solutions team on 01922 657000 or email businesstrainingsolutions@walsallcollege.ac.uk

Off the job training is vital to the delivery of any apprenticeships provision. It helps to reinforce the practical work-based skills completed on the job by the learner.

Off the job training has always been a part of the apprenticeship provision.  Reforms have led to more specific rules from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) around what constitutes off the job training, which must be a minimum of 20%.

Find out more about what counts towards off the job training here.

End-point assessment (EPA) is an assessment of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that your apprentice has learned throughout an apprenticeship, which confirms that they are occupationally competent.

Assessments have been designed by employers in the sector and are conducted by independent bodies known as end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs). You must select an EPAO as soon as possible at the beginning of the apprenticeship. The apprentice will only get their apprenticeship certificate after they have passed all the elements of their EPA, including any required standards in English and maths.

Finding an end-point assessment organisation
We can help you find an end-point assessment organisation or you can find one yourself for your apprentice.

You should agree a price with the EPAO for the assessment and then your training provider must contract with them on your behalf within 3 months of the apprenticeship starting. We expect that the cost of end-point assessment should not usually exceed 20% of the funding band maximum for the apprenticeship.

What does assessment involve?
Each apprenticeship includes an end-point assessment plan, which describes how the apprentice should be tested against appropriate criteria, using suitable methods. For example, your apprentice may need to complete.

• a practical assessment
• an interview
• a project
• written and/or multiple-choice tests
• a presentation

It is worth getting in touch with your EPAO early on in the apprenticeship to check what the assessment involves. This will give your apprentice plenty of time to prepare. For example, they may need to gather evidence to show how they’ve been working towards the core knowledge, skills and behaviours required. This short animation will help your apprentice understand what is expected from them and what will happen during their end-point assessment.

Certification
When your apprentice successfully completes their apprenticeship and passes their EPA, they’ll be awarded a certificate. The EPAO will request this certificate on your behalf. For some apprenticeships, passing the EPA and completing the apprenticeship will also lead to professional recognition by an authorised body. This is outlined in the apprenticeship details on find apprenticeship training.

Large employers that pay the apprenticeship levy can choose to transfer up to 25% of their levy funds each year to other businesses, to pay for their apprenticeship training and assessment.

Transferring levy funds is a way of supporting other businesses by deciding which sectors, skills or local areas you’d like to fund.

For example, you could support the engineering sector across England, or fund digital apprenticeships in your local area, or support any apprenticeships in a particular town or city.

Which businesses and apprenticeships you support with a transfer is your choice.

Your transfer allowance
Your transfer allowance is calculated as 25% of your previous financial year’s apprenticeship levy funds. The apprenticeship service calculates this amount as 25% of:

• the total amount of levy you declared in the previous tax year
• with the English percentage applied (the percentage of your employees that live in England)
• plus the top-up payment of 10% from the government

You cannot transfer more than your 25% allowance in each financial year.

Who can I transfer my apprenticeship levy to?
It is your choice which businesses you transfer levy funds to. Any business can receive a transfer of levy funds, including businesses that pay the apprenticeship levy and those that do not.

All businesses will need an apprenticeship service account to receive a transfer of levy funds. Businesses that pay the apprenticeship levy can choose to either send or receive a transfer of levy funds, but cannot send and receive a levy transfer at the same time.

To find out more about transferring your levy, please click here or email us on businesstrainingsolutions@walsallcollege.ac.uk

To help employers recruit and retain talent within the construction industry, we have introduced the Into Work grant. This grant offers financial support to employers who offer an initial work experience placement through to employment. It is expected to help with the costs of hiring and mentoring new entrants and increase the number of new entrants progressing from Further Education (FE) through to employment.

There are two elements to the Into Work grant:

• A £500 work experience grant paid on the completion of the work experience element of an FE course. The list of eligible FE courses is available on our website.
• A £1000 employment grant paid following three-months completed direct employment for an individual who has previously completed the work experience element with the same employer. This can include employment as part of an apprenticeship.
. There is a 30 hour minimum for the placement

This grant is available where the work experience started from 1 September 2023 and is initially a pilot until 31 March 2025.

There is 30 hour minimum duration for the work experience element of this grant, the duration is determined by the college from whom the employer must provide evidence along with their application. The application form will become available on our website for employers within the next few weeks.

Full details and rules for this grant, including employer cap information, how to apply and evidence requirements can be found on the Into Work grant webpage.