Apprenticeship funding - City of Wolverhampton College

The Apprenticeship Levy explained…

The apprenticeship levy is designed to help fund the development and delivery of apprenticeships in order to increase the quantity and improve the quality of those available and assist larger employers to fund apprenticeship programmes for new and existing employees.

Employers fall into one of two categories:

Levy–payers – employers with a payroll of over £3m per annum are required to pay the levy whether they employ an apprentice or not.

Non-levy payers – employers with a payroll of less than £3m per annum do not have to pay the levy and can access financial support to assist in the recruitment and training of new apprentices and existing employees.

Employer makes a 0.5% contribution of the annual salary bill through PAYE
For every £1 paid into the levy pot the employer gets £1.10 to spend on apprenticeship training
Employer uses a digital account to manage apprenticeship funding, see how much is available in the company’s online account and allocate payments to providers of government-approved apprenticeships for the training and development of new or existing apprentices
On full utilisation of the levy, all additional apprentices are funded with a requirement to contribute 5%
£1000 cash incentive for recruitment or enrolment of an existing employee, aged 16–18, onto an apprenticeship

Employer makes a 5% contribution towards the training of apprenticeships for new and existing staff
£1000 cash incentive for recruitment of or enrolment of an existing employee, aged 16-18, onto an apprenticeship

Fully-funded apprenticeship training for new and existing staff aged 16–18
For apprentices aged 19 or over, the employer makes a 5% contribution to the training
£1000 cash incentive for recruitment or enrolment of an existing employee, aged 16-18, onto an apprenticeship

One of the core requirements of an apprenticeship programme is that the apprentice spends 20% of their learning time developing their skills through off-the-job training.

Off-the-job training is learning completed outside of the normal day-to-day working environment and there are a range of activities that the apprentice can participate in.

20 ideas for 20% off-the-job training

Participating in online forums relevant to the role and industry
Individual study time – either to complete coursework or review modules
Being mentored by a senior colleague in a role that the apprentice aspires to
Delivering a mentoring session to a colleague
Completing a written or filmed reflective account
Shadowing a colleague’s role and writing a report reflecting on learning
Learning new skills and sharing ideas with colleagues through group learning sessions
Researching tasks to gain new knowledge of the industry
Face-to-face tutor-led delivery or coaching sessions
Internal learning & development sessions relating to the apprenticeship
Completing e-learning modules
Completing project work
Preparing for assessments
Role play or simulating workplace situations
Visits to other departments or businesses to gain an insight into how they operate
Attending industry-related competitions
Attending industry shows, presentations or seminars
Workplace one-to-one performance reviews
Training sessions, such as manual handling or first aid
Attending webinars on key industry topics