An apprenticeship is a job with an accompanying learning programme. An apprentice is employed by under a contract of employment, gaining hands-on experience in the workplace and earning money while they learn. An apprentice is employed full time and will gain valuable work-based skills and qualifications. Apprenticeships are also a great way to grow and develop talent within your business.
Eligibility criteria
The apprentice must:
- be 16 or over (there is no upper age limit)
- not already be in full-time education
- live in England
Finding the right apprentice
You may want to start an existing employee on an apprenticeship or recruit a new member of staff, we can help with both:
- Start an existing member of staff
- If an employee moves into a job where they need new knowledge, skills and behaviours or if staff are looking to develop their skills and career prospects an apprenticeship is a perfect opportunity.
- Recruit a new member of staff
- If you have a vacancy and are looking to future proof your workforce then East Coast College has a talent pool of Further Education students, currently studying, who are ready to become your next apprentice. You can talk to us about this by ‘Requesting an apprentice today’.
Duration
An apprenticeship is a minimum of 12 months and can last up to five years, depending on the standard and level of the apprenticeship. This is based on a 37-hour working week, of which 20% is for off the job learning.
Training
Apprentices require different methods of learning:
On-the-job
You as the employer deliver the learning, providing the apprentice training and supervision to help them develop in the business.
Off-the-job
This training is either delivered by you the employer, or more commonly by the training provider …. Us at East Coast College. It must be delivered during the apprentices normal working pattern.
The training focus’ on developing Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSB’s) as part of the apprenticeship standard and works out at 6 hours of their normal working week. Training delivered at College will be in a day-release model or block release model, this will be discussed with you during your Information and Guidance call from us.
Progress Reviews
Your apprentice will get a Progress Review every 12 weeks throughout their apprenticeship where you will discuss progress against any technical qualifications as well as against the KSB’s in the apprenticeship standard. These will be carried out electronically through our system OneFile.
Functional Skills
If an apprentice has not achieved a grade 4 (or C) in both GCSE Maths and English before they start their apprenticeship, they will need to continue to study towards these in order to
pass their apprenticeship. Functional Skills will be part of the training delivered by the College.
End Point Assessment (EPA)
At the end of your apprentices training, they will complete an end point assessment (EPA). This demonstrates their knowledge, skills and behaviours as part of their apprenticeship
standard. These assessments vary from apprenticeship and may be more than one element.
Employer Responsibilities
As an employer you will need to:
- Ensure the apprentice has a genuine job and contract of employment.
- Meet the cost of the apprentices wages, including the time they are in work and off the job.
- Provide support and training in the workplace for the apprentice.
- Sign an Apprenticeship Agreement which details length of apprenticeship, number of off the job hours required and the place of work.
- Agree to a Training Plan which shows the start and end dates of the apprenticeship, the off the job calculation and the individual learning plan for the apprentice.
Interested……. See which Apprenticeship Standards we offer and request your next apprentice today!