| Weâre making changes to ensure the apprenticeship service meets the needs of employers, training providers and apprentices. Our latest update is now live, the details are outlined below. NOW LIVE Employers can pledge and transfer apprenticeship levy funds Our new online service makes it easier for levy paying employers to transfer unspent levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses. This is a great way for employers to help other businesses, create opportunities and close skills gaps in sectors and locations they want to support. Share this information with your employer members and networks, so they can make the most of this new service. How it works Levy paying employers can now create a pledge of up to 25% of their annual levy funds. They can select how much funding they want to transfer and set optional criteria for the types of businesses and apprenticeships they would like to support. All businesses, including training providers and intermediary bodies, will be able to see these funding opportunities on a gov.uk webpage. If they meet the criteria, employers will be able to apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum). The webpage should go live from the end of September 2021. Creating a pledge To create a pledge, employers need to sign in to their apprenticeship service account, go to âFinancesâ and then âTransfersâ. They can also use their account to review, approve or reject any pledge applications. FIND OUT MORE REMINDER âMy apprenticeshipâ accounts We launched âMy apprenticeshipâ accounts on 9 September. The employer or training provider must now add a unique email address when adding an apprentice record to the apprenticeship service, including bulk uploads. This can be the apprenticeâs personal, college or work email address, but not a group email address. Without a unique email address, they will not be able to bulk upload, save or approve the apprentice record, so funding cannot be allocated.  COMING SOONAccess the latest versions of apprenticeship standards Apprenticeship standards outline what an apprentice will be doing and the skills required of them, by job role. All apprenticeship standards begin at version 1.0. The content of standards is reviewed regularly, and when changes are made, new versions of standards are published with an updated version number. When employers or providers add a future apprentice to the apprenticeship service, they will be automatically assigned to the latest version of the chosen apprenticeship standard, based on the planned start date for the apprentice. Employers will also be able to move existing apprentices onto the latest versions of their apprenticeship standards. This will ensure apprentices receive training and assessment in line with the latest industry requirements, and employers can benefit from their up-to-date skills. |