FAQs

Aren’t apprenticeships just for young people?

No – you can do an apprenticeship at any age, you don’t have to be 16 – 18. There is no upper age limit on apprenticeship starts.

Are  Apprenticeships at lower levels?

Apprenticeships can be at levels 2 (GCSE equivalent) to level 7 (Post Graduate level). Forty per cent of new apprenticeship standards being developed are at level 4 and above reflecting the expected growth in jobs requiring higher level skills.

Can employers use apprenticeships for existing staff or are they just for new employees?

An apprentice does not have to be someone new and apprenticeships can be ideal ways for employers to up-skill their staff or support them as they move into new roles in the organisation. They can be used very effectively as part of career development or talent management programmes

Can employers ask  apprentices to pick up some of the cost themselves – maybe for exam fees or professional registration?

No, apprentices cannot be asked to contribute to the cost of their training programme. They must be employed throughout their apprenticeship and all of the mandatory costs of their training programme will be paid by their employer, the training provider or the Government.  As training providers it is really important that the price we quote to an employer for providing the apprenticeship covers all of the actual costs, including any attached to the end point assessment.

How are apprenticeships different from training programmes?

Apprenticeships are, first and foremost, a job which involves a significant training element and not to be regarded as a training programme with work experience.

What are end point assessments?

All apprenticeship standards have end point assessments and this is what marks the successful completion of the apprenticeship. The end point assessment may be co-terminal and linked with achievement of the main qualification or may be linked with achievement of an agreed level of professional body status. Examples of this may be achieving Chartered Manager Status or Incorporated Engineer. End point assessments will always include an element of externality and often involve the professional body most linked with that sector or job role. In some cases, an apprentice may take a year or more after completing the degree which was embedded in the apprenticeship, to achieve the end point assessment.

Can you do an apprenticeship in just anything?

Apprenticeships are clearly linked to job roles. Apprenticeship standards have been created by trailblazer groups of employers who define the titles of the apprenticeship and outline the knowledge, skills and competencies that an employee would need to learn to be able to do that job. Only once an apprenticeship standard has been designed by a trailblazer group and approved by DfE, is it able to be recognised as and called an apprenticeship. 

You can find a list of apprenticeship standards that are ready for delivery or in development here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeship-standards 

I have heard about this this thing called the Apprenticeship Levy but don’t know what it is?

All employers with a payroll over £3m will be paying an Apprenticeship Levy from April 2017. The money will go into their digital account and they can spend it on apprenticeship training for new or existing staff. They can’t spend it on apprentice’s wages or any other type of training programme. They have two years to spend the money or it goes into the government funds.