KC Apprenticeships Employer Info

KC APPRENTICESHIPS EMPLOYER INFORMATION

Find your place, find your future.

Welcome to KC Apprenticeships!

Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way for any organisation to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. It is also an excellent route for apprentices to kick start a fulfilling career or to upskill an existing member of your staff.

Apprentices receive both on and off the job training which builds up the required knowledge, skills and behaviours your business requires.

Kidderminster College’s dedicated Apprenticeship Team work closely with local business find the best apprentice for your business needs. You will have a dedicated and knowledgeable Employer Engagement lead who will provide you with, advice and support in order to make the process of hiring an apprentice as simple and smooth as possible.

Take a look below to see the many benefits of hiring an apprentice, as well as key employer requirements and information.

We look forward to working with you

Why hire an apprentice?

We’re glad you asked! Take a look at KC’s ten reasons as to why hiring an apprentice is the right move:

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TEN
Apprenticeships are an invaluable way to bring new talent into your business.
Apprenticeships are an essential way to grow your team and keep staff costs down.
You can mould and develop apprentices to meet your business needs, to enable them to progress within your business.
You can develop skills to future-proof your workforce.
Apprentices provide fresh ideas and enthusiasm that can make a real difference to your business.
Apprenticeships are a channel to recruit raw talent and marry it to the skills you need in your organisation.
Apprentices can add value quickly and help reduce staff turnover and recruitment costs.
You can give people of all backgrounds a real chance to get on the ladder of opportunity - and get a cutting edge over your competitors at the same time.
Apprentices improve productivity. Employers who have an established apprenticeship programmed reported that productivity in their workplace had improved by 76%.
Apprenticeships can be used for your current workforce to develop skills and support with professional development.

Employer Requirements.

  • Employers must provide their apprentice with a thorough induction into their role and provide “on-the-job” training and paid time for “off the job” training.
  • Employers are responsible for paying their apprentice’s wages and issuing their contract of employment.
  • An Apprenticeship Agreement between the employer and the apprentice must be in place.
  • The apprentice must receive the Apprenticeship National Minimum Wage. Apprentices aged 16-18, or for those 19 and over in the first year of their Apprenticeship, must be paid a minimum of £4.15 per hour, however many businesses pay more.
  • The minimum hours of employment for an apprentice should be at least 30 hours per week.
  • Time spent training and at college is included in the paid hours of work.
  • By exception, where the individual’s circumstances or the particular nature of employment in a given sector makes this impossible, then an absolute minimum of 16 hours must be met. In such cases the duration of the apprenticeship should be extended.
  • All apprentices must receive the same benefits as their other employees.

How do Apprenticeships work?

The majority of Apprentice training happens “on-the-job”, where they work with a mentor to learn job specific skills in the workplace, this is where your business is able to mould them to your specific needs.

An apprentice is required to spend at least 20% of their time “off-the-job”. This aspect of training will depend on the occupational area and will be covered in full when you have a chat with our KC Apprenticeship Team.

Typically, apprentices spend up to one day a week at college.

Many of the programmes require the apprentice to build a portfolio of evidence, in addition they will  be subject to an End Point Assessment (EPA) which means that they have to be individually deemed competent by a professional person external to the college.

Duration.

Typically, Apprenticeships can last between 1 year and 5 years.

Many of our KC apprentices progress from one Apprenticeship programme onto the next level. We are proud to boast that 97% of the apprentices KC help train have remained with their employer at the end of the programme, so we have an excellent success rate!

Finance.

When employers take on a 16-18 year old apprentice they will receive £1,000 to help meet the extra costs associated with this. This will also apply if they employ a 19-24 year old care leaver, or a 19-24 year old with a Local Authority Education, Health Care Plan.

This will be paid to employers in two equal instalments at three months and twelve months from the Apprentices start date.

The Government also are offering additional Covid19 financial incentives up to 31 March 2021- see below for more information.

In addition, depending on which district your apprentice resides, there are additional local grants which you can apply for, see HERE

Existing Staff & Graduates.

You can now train existing members of staff under the Apprenticeship programmes, providing them with new skills and clear career progression.

From April 2017 funding has been made available to all graduates, regardless of their experience or age. The Apprenticeship that they are using must be significantly different to the qualifications they already hold so new skills are learned.

As a result of Covid-19 the Government are offering the below grants:

In recognition of the value apprentices can bring to our economy, the government have announced details of an incentive payment available to all employers who hire an apprentice.

KEY FACTS

  • The incentive is available between 1 August 2020 and 31 March 2021
  • There will be two levels of payment based on age.
  • For apprentices aged 16-24 the payment will be £2,000.
  • For apprentices aged 25 or over the payment will be £1,500.
  • For apprentices aged between 16-18 the employer will still receive an additional £1000.
  • The payment will be made directly to employers in two equal instalments, where the apprentice is still in learning at day 90 and day 365.
  • There will be no limit on the number of incentive payments that an employer can claim for apprentices eligible to receive funding, provided each apprentice meets the criteria, including being a new employee.
  • To access the incentive employers must register access to the Apprenticeship Service, instructions can be found HERE

How to recruit an apprentice?

The Apprenticeship Team at Kidderminster College will assist you in recruiting an apprentice free of charge.

There are 3 ways you can recruit an apprentice:

  1. We can advertise on your behalf free of charge through the National Apprenticeship website and on Kidderminster Colleges social media platforms. 
  2. We can check whether there are any suitable candidates in our very own “Talent Pool”.
  3. You may have someone in mind who you would like to undertake an Apprenticeship, this may be a new recruit or a member of your existing staff.

The Apprenticeship Team pride themselves on matching the right candidate to the right vacancy.

To start recruiting for an Apprentice, you will need complete a vacancy template and the work premises checklist. Please note we cannot advertise the vacancy until both forms and returned. Should you require any assistance, we would be happy to help.

TEMPLATE

Your vacancy will be advertised for 2 weeks.

Once closed we will send you links to your applicants.

The Apprenticeship team will screen all applicants to ensure they meet the entry requirements for the programme.

We will arrange interviews on your behalf.

Funding to train an apprentice

If you employ 49 or less staff and recruit 16-18-year-old- the government will fully fund 100% of the apprentice training, this also applies if 19-24-year olds who have previously been in care or have a Local Authority Education, Health Care Plan. If you recruit an apprentice aged 19 plus the government fund 95% of the apprentice training and the employer is required to pay a small 5% contribution. This varies from programme to programme and you will be advised accordingly.

If you employ 50 staff or more, the 5% employer contribution will apply regardless of age.

Employer contributions are a one- off cost, you can choose to pay a one-off payment at the start of the Apprenticeship or quarterly payments over the first 12 months of the programme.

Where the apprentice has prior knowledge, skills or experience the cost of training may be reduced. This will be determined at the start of the Apprenticeship.

Apprentice Levy payers

This applies to employers with a wage bill of £3million or more.

If you are unsure about whether you are an Apprenticeship levy payer please visit The Government Website

If you are an Apprenticeship levy payer, the funds for the apprentice training will be deducted from your digital Apprenticeship account, monthly over the duration of the Apprenticeship

Where levy funds have expired an employer contribution of 5% is required.

 Where the apprentice has prior knowledge, skills or experience the cost of training may be reduced. This will be determined at the start of the Apprenticeship.

KC Apprenticeships work with many apprentice levy paying employers, our dedicated Employment Engagement team will be happy to provide you with expert advice on how to utilise your levy funds for new and existing members of staff.

End Point Assessment

What is an End Point Assessment EPA?

The EPA is designed to test whether each apprentice has gained the skills, knowledge and behaviours outlined in the Apprenticeship standard, at the end of their apprentice training they will be required to go through an EPA gateway. This will be conducted by an organisation independent to the college, the apprentice will need to be deemed competent in order to achieve their Apprenticeship. Typically, the apprentice will be required to build a portfolio of evidence which will be discussed during the EPA.

EPA requirements differ subject to Apprenticeship programmes, you will be advised accordingly.

20% Off the Job Training

Off-the-job training is defined as any activity that is not part of an apprentice’s day-to-day role which supports their apprenticeship training.

Off-the-job training must make up at least 20% of an apprentice’s normal working hours. This is a requirement for all apprenticeships and gives the apprentice dedicated time to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required by the programme.

Managers and apprentices must understand and identify the activities that count towards off-the-job training.

Apprentices are responsible for updating a logbook to record these activities.

Health & Safety

Here at Kidderminster College we take the health, safety and well-being of our students very seriously. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure a safe working environment and to ensure your apprentice is not subject to any unreasonable risks.

Interested? Get in touch!

Get in touch today with our KC Apprenticeship team and start your Apprenticeship journey with us

Telephone

01562 826515

KC Apprentice Info

Find out about what it takes to become an Apprentice, how it can help you shape your future and how KC Apprenticeships team can help you #FindYourPlace!

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