Apprenticeships

What is an apprentice?

Through a simplistic definition, an apprentice is a person who works for another person/business in order to learn that trade. It is a form of training and allows you to have a job whilst simultaneously gaining qualifications. An apprenticeship offers aid to both the apprentice and the employer hiring them, and comes in a range of different levels, meaning qualifications can range as well (between GCSEs and Bachelor’s/master’s degrees).

Why take on an apprentice?

There are multiple reasons why taking on an apprentice will benefit your business. These are:

• Apprenticeships provide skilled workers for the company’s future
• The loyalty of staff and retention will rise
• The bottom line of a company will increase
• A better return on investment
• Apprentices can free up existing staff’s time.
• According to results from a survey the Department of Education conducted in early 2017, 75% of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises/Businesses) that employ apprentices found that their productivity has increased.

Why become an apprentice?

When starting an apprenticeship there is a pathway which enables you to progress. Most apprenticeships start at level 2 and go up to level 7 which is equivalent of a bachelor’s or master’s degree at University. This is a great path to go down because you will not only be gaining experience and a qualification, you will also be getting paid for it. As an apprentice, you will:

• Be working alongside staff with different levels of experience
• Gain and develop job-related skills
• Be able to earn a wage and get holiday pay (generally the wage increases the higher the apprenticeship level- however these vary from job to job)
• Be given time for role related study (this tends to be a day a week)
• Be able to complete the off-the-job apprenticeship work from home, the working environment, or an educational institute/classroom- it is often arranged between the employer, tutor, and the apprentice themselves.

Entry requirements for apprenticeships

Employers are able to set their own specifications of entry requirements when hiring an apprentice, however many tend to follow similar guidelines:

• Apprentices must be aged 16 or over
• Many look for applicants with 5 GCSEs graded A* to C, including Mathematics and English, whilst others look for at least Maths and English qualifications, or someone willing to gain them during the course of the apprenticeship (it varies job to job). Due to recent changes with the entry requirements for Maths and English, people with learning difficulties can now access level 2 apprenticeships as long as they are able to achieve an entry level 3 qualification during the same period
• The ability to show their commitment to the completion of the apprenticeship

Apprenticeship levels

There are 6 different NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) levels of apprenticeships, and each equates to varying types of qualifications, as shown in the table below:

Apprenticeship wages

• National Minimum Wage for apprentices is £3.70 (from April 2018). This applies to apprentices under 19 years of age, and over 19 whilst in their first year of the course
• Anyone aged 25 and over, and not in the first year, is entitled to National Minimum Wage of a worker, which is £7.83 (from April 2018).

Apprenticeship hours

• The minimum duration period of each apprenticeship is based on the number of hours they work a week. An apprenticeship tends to take between 1 and 5 years to complete
• Normally a week consists of 30 hours or more (which includes any off-the-job training)
• Some apprentices may need a reduced number of hours a week, such as those with disabilities, or carers. The duration of the apprenticeship would thus be extended to accommodate the shorter work hours during each week
• Off-the-job training should take up 20% of the hours at work each week, this equates roughly to a day.

More information?

For more information on apprenticeships within the KCC, Kent, and in general, click here. To see which apprenticeships are hiring throughout England, click here.