Writtle College apprenticeships for employers

The funding and employer contribution is determined by the age of the apprentice at the start of their course and the number of employees your company has. The Training Plan contract and Apprenticeship agreement you will sign will outline the course details, costs, terms and commitment of all parties. The information below shows the expected employer co-investments.

Your company has 49 or fewer employees
If the apprentice is aged 16-21*:

• fully funded for training costs
• employer incentive of £1,000*

If the apprentice is aged 22+:

• 95% of funding will come from the Government, with the remaining 5% coming from you as the employer
• apprentices who are aged 22-24 and have previously been in Care or who have a Local Authority Education, Health and Care plan will be fully funded and the employer will receive £1,000 incentive payment

Your company has 50 employees or more, but below a company pay bill of £3m
If the apprentice is aged 16-21*:

• 95% of funding will come from the Government, with the remaining 5% coming from you as the employer
• employer incentive of £1,000*

If the apprentice is aged 22+:

• 95% of funding will come from the Government, with the remaining 5% coming from you as the employer
• Employers of apprentices who are aged 19-24 and have previously been in care or who have a local authority Education, Health and Care Plan will and receive £1,000 incentive payment

Apprenticeship Levy payers (company pay bill of over £3m)
If you operate in England and your annual payroll is over £3 million, you pay a levy of 0.5% of your payroll into a Digital Apprenticeship Service Account. This account is exclusively used to fund apprenticeship programmes.

The Government will top up the employer’s account with a 10% bonus, so effectively you will draw £1.10 for every £1.00 you put in This is used to pay for your apprentices training costs. In addition:

• for apprentices who are 16–18 years old there is an employer incentive of £1,000
• apprentices who are aged 19-24 and have previously been in care or who have a local authority Education, Health and Care Plan the employer will receive an £1,000 incentive payment

* For apprentices with a start date from 1 April 2024. For Apprentice starts up to 31 March 2024 the age group of 16-18 years applies.

An apprentice will be your employee and will need a contract of employment for at least the duration of the apprenticeship.

On average our Level 2 apprenticeships take around 13-24 months and the Level 3 advanced apprenticeships around 36-40 months. However, the timescale of an apprenticeship is flexible and will depend on the apprentice’s prior experience and the course they are enrolled on.

• Wages – employers are required to pay at least the current apprenticeship minimum wage. However, learners over 19 years must be paid the national minimum wage when their second year of study starts. Apprentices are required to be contracted employees, paid through PAYE.
• Health, safety and safeguarding – companies will need to comply with current health and safety regulations. Our staff will carry out a supportive on-site inspection to ensure the apprentice works in a safe environment.
• Support – as an employer you will need to work alongside Writtle College staff to provide a supportive environment for your apprentice. This includes releasing your apprentice to attend college, either on a day or block release depending on the programme.
• Progress review meetings – these are regular meetings that are attended by the apprentice, their line manager and Writtle College Training Officers. These meetings provide opportunities for you and Writtle College to work together in ensuring the apprentice is supported throughout their programme and given every opportunity to succeed.

Many employers contact us with a potential apprentice already in mind; this could be an existing member of staff who needs training to progress to a new role or a volunteer/casual worker who the company feels would be an asset as an apprentice.

However, if you are looking for a new member of staff, Writtle College can help manage the recruitment process on your behalf or assist your HR department during the recruitment process. Your vacancies will be advertised on the National Apprenticeship Service and the ARU website.

Writtle College apprenticeships are delivered by a highly skilled team of lecturers with extensive industry experience in their specialist sectors. This gives employers peace of mind that training and learning is being delivered by an expert who understands the needs, pressures and sometimes unique requirements of the sector.