Hiring an apprentice

Apprenticeship training enables new or existing staff to combine working with study to gain skills and knowledge in a specific job at any age.

See further information about:

Types of apprenticeships
Apprenticeship training costs
How apprenticeship training is paid for
Grants and funding
Levy transfers
Apply for levy transfers
The benefits of hiring an apprentice
Traineeships
York Apprenticeship Hub

Types of apprenticeships

Apprenticeship training courses are now called Apprenticeship Standards. There are over 700 apprenticeship standards available, some of which go up to degree level, covering most employment sectors such as:

health care
digital and creative
construction
rail infrastructure
management
business administration

To search for an apprenticeship standard, visit the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website.

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Apprenticeship training costs

Each apprenticeship standard has a maximum associated cost, for example:

an advanced (Level 3) business admin apprenticeship standard costs up to £5,000
a degree-level (Level 6) chartered management apprenticeship standard costs up to £27,000

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How apprenticeship training is paid for

If you have an annual pay bill of:

less than £3 million and have less than 50 members of staff: the government covers all apprenticeship training and assessment costs if the apprentice is aged between 16 and 18 on the first day of their apprenticeship (or aged between 16 and 24 for learners with an Education, Health and Care Plan)
less than £3 million: the government covers 95% of training and assessment costs, you cover 5%
over £3 million: you'll be a levy payer, where 0.5% of your annual pay bill is automatically placed into your online Apprenticeship Levy pot on a monthly basis by HMRC, topped up by 10% from the government. You access your apprenticeship training fund through the digital Apprenticeship Service

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Grants and funding

Between April 2021 and 31 January 2022 a £3,000 government grant is available to any business that hires a new apprentice of any age.

This is in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the government provides for all new 16 to 18 year-old apprentices, and those aged under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan, where that applies.

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Levy transfers

Levy paying employers can now transfer up to 25% of their unallocated apprenticeship levy funds to employers who are non-levy payers or who have spent their levy and want to hire new apprentices or develop existing employees. Transferred funds are used to cover 100% of the approved apprenticeship training and assessment costs.

If you are interested in receiving or sending levy funds, please contact the York Apprenticeship Hub.

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Apply for a levy transfer

As a levy paying employer, we're keen to support local businesses to make the most of the apprenticeships by transferring unallocated apprenticeship levy funds to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), Public Sector and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSE).

To express your interest, contact the York Apprenticeship Hub.

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The benefits of hiring an apprentice

According to information from GOV.UK:

a 76% improvement in productivity was reported by employers with an established apprenticeship programme
75% of employers reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service
90% of apprentices stay on in their place of work after completing an apprenticeship

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Traineeships

Traineeships offer 16 to 24 year olds ‘pre-employment’ or ‘pre-apprenticeship’ training and work placements of between 6 weeks and 6 months. It also includes english, maths and employability qualifications delivered through a training provider.

A Traineeship is not classified as a job, meaning employers are not required to pay trainees for their placements, but they may offer to cover transport and meal costs.

Employers will be given a £1,000 government grant per Traineeship position from September 2020.

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