| NOW LIVE Employers can pledge and transfer apprenticeship levy funds This update enables employers and training providers to check that apprentices are on the latest versions of their apprenticeship standards. This ensures they receive training and assessment in line with industry requirements and businesses can benefit from their up-to-date skills. How it works When employers or their training providers add an apprentice to the Apprenticeship Service, they select an apprenticeship standard. Standards outline what an apprentice will be doing and the skills required of them, by job role. Standards are regularly reviewed and when a change is made they are given a new version number. Changes to a standard can be reviewed by checking the version log at the bottom of the standard’s webpage. New apprentices Any apprentices added to the Apprenticeship Service are now automatically assigned to the latest versions of their standards. In addition, if options are available, employers or their training providers can now select their preferred options. Existing apprentices Employers or their training providers can now move existing apprentices onto the latest versions of their standards, in line with the funding rules. In addition, if options are available, employers or their training providers can now select their preferred options. What employers need to do To check which version of a standard an apprentice is on, or to move an existing apprentice onto the latest version, employers should sign in to their apprenticeship service account and select an apprentice from the ‘Manage your apprentices’ section. |
| FIND OUT MORE. NEW Employer guide to supporting apprentices through end-point assessment In England, every apprentice must undertake an independent assessment at the end of their training to confirm if they have achieved occupational competence. Awareness of and preparation for this assessment is part of the apprenticeship journey and should be introduced right at the start. Our new best practice guide helps employers understand how apprentices are assessed and what steps they need to take to ensure their apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeships. Share this guide with your employer contacts so they can support their apprentices through end-point assessment. REMINDERS Here’s a recap of other improvements we’ve recently made to the Apprenticeship Service, please pass these on to your employer contacts. Apprenticeship funding pledges now live Levy paying employers can now create a pledge of up to 25% of their annual levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses. All businesses, including training providers and intermediary bodies, can review these funding pledges online. Employers can apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum). ‘My apprenticeship’ accounts (apprentice email addresses now required) Employers or their training providers must now add a unique email address when adding an apprentice record to the Apprenticeship Service, including bulk uploads. The apprentice will then receive an email invitation to create a ‘My apprenticeship’ account and confirm their apprenticeship details. Support with finding a training provider If no training providers are offering the apprenticeship training an employer needs, they can fill out a simple online form to share their interest in a particular course with all providers. To do so, employers search for a course using ‘Find apprenticeship training’, enter a town, city or postcode and select ‘View providers for this course’. If there are no results, employers should look for ‘Can’t find a training provider?’ and select ‘Share your interest’ |