Work Based Learning Advice for Employers

Levy and Apprenticeship Reform Services 2017

Building upon the well-established best practice of South West Durham Training and Bishop Auckland College’s apprenticeship models, we will provide a seamless link to the new standards based apprenticeships and explanation of how the new funding model will affect your business.

Embracing the new apprenticeships, we will ensure that competence stretch is matched by delivering excellent core engineering, management and leadership skills, knowledge and behaviours. We will provide a fully comprehensive service to ensure that you, as an employer, can stocktake your internal training programmes as they are very likely to be similar to existing apprenticeship provision. We will support the needs of your business and the benefits of the 2017 levy apprenticeship regime by providing the following:

Understanding the Levy

In April 2017 the way the Government funds apprenticeships in England is changing. Some employers will be required to contribute to the apprenticeship levy, and there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers. A key aim of the levy is to encourage businesses to take on apprentices or alternatively, upskill their existing staff through an apprenticeship.

Our team of experts are committed to delivering bespoke advice and guidance on apprenticeships that will not only enhance your workforce but also transform your company to become a more productive and successful business. We will help you understand your levy commitment and the benefits for levy, non-levy and companies employing fewer than 50 staff.

In addition, you will be supported to plan for the effective utilisation of your levy commitments.

Finding the right apprenticeship pathway

Our Employer engagement teams will ensure that you are aware of the most appropriate apprenticeship match, to make certain that your apprentice recruitment aligns with your company’s skills and competence ambition. They will explain how you can develop your own standards based apprenticeship, specifically designed to meet the needs of your company and your industry sector. Working in partnership Bishop Auckland College and SWDT will provide a collaborative solution and service, co-ordinating all levy payers full range of apprenticeship requirements. We will also support Non-levy paying businesses (around 98% of all businesses) who will only have to contribute 10% of the costs of an apprentice’s training, with the government paying the remaining 90% through ‘co-investment’.

We will help you to select the most suitable option to ensure the achievement of a successful ‘End Point Assessment’ (EPA). Arrangements will be made to make sure that you fully understand the structure and requirements of your selected apprenticeship and the role of the EPA’s.

Apprenticeship Recruitment

As part of our comprehensive levy and apprenticeship service, our staff will provide an apprenticeship recruitment service at no cost to yourself, we will work with your CPD and internal training assessment methods to support existing staff with workbased qualifications. We will also provide a full recruitment service for all apprentices primarily aimed at the 16-24 age groups. This is delivered by a team of Engagement specialists who manage the placement of apprentices. All roles will be advertised using the gov.uk apprenticeship website.

We will continue to develop our capability to act as a one-stop recruitment point to field all applicants; carrying out CV reviews, application analysis, initial assessments and first stage interviews.

Recruitment staff will match successful applicants with your vacancy providing a short list of suitable applicants for you to consider.

We will arrange interviews; liaising between you, the employer, and the short listed apprentice applicants, to make certain that your decision to offer the apprenticeship opportunity is as simple and effective as possible.

The Digital Apprenticeship Service

Comprehensive support will be provided to enable you to work through the Digital Apprentice Service. We will explain how the funding and charges flow and how payments should be made.

Once you have engaged your apprentice, your training officer will continue to go beyond the basic apprenticeship contractual requirements providing a fully comprehensive service. They will ensure that all standards based apprenticeship requirements are planned for and delivered. We will ensure that whichever apprenticeship is selected, the outcomes align with your company’s specific skill development ambitions. Furthermore, our training officers will ensure that in-company structures and mentoring regimes are embedded. The training officer will plan for your staff and apprentice’s to successfully complete the End Point Assessment (EPA).

End Point Assessment will include a role-play/interview scenario, practical assessments and evidence collation. Much of this activity will be staged preparation for the final EPA.

Our service will continue to ensure that your recruitment and staff development is fully integrated with your wider employee and strategic business plans. With focus on delivering effective return on investments and reinforcing your company’s unique selling points.

If you wish, we would be delighted to talk about how we can provide additional specific learning to meet your company’s unique skill needs.