The Apprenticeship Levy
To improve professional skills of the UK workforce and to put apprenticeship funding on an sustainable footing, from 6 April 2017, the way the government funds apprenticeships in England changed for all employers, with the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.
The levy is imposed on all employers operating in the UK with an annual pay bill over £3 million and businesses can claim the levy payment back, only if they invest in apprenticeships. Other employers with an annual pay bill lower than £3m are able to take advantage of a 90% government subsidy to invest in apprenticeships.
Apprenticeship Levy Consultancy & Services:
We provide consultancy services working in partnership with your business to develop your Apprenticeship strategy:
Workshops : In response to this government initiative run tailored half day workshops for clients, to help them understand the impact that this has on their business and to explore how to best prepare.
Skills Audit (Business Need Analysis:Through understanding your strategic objectives and diagnostic of your training needs, we can provide an extensive report about how we can align the appropriate apprenticeships to train your staff effectively.
Delivery of Apprenticeships at all Levels: We have expert partners who can deliver quality apprenticeships according to your needs. All apprenticeship delivery trainers will help your staff apply the learning back into the workplace.
The Degree Apprenticeship Supply Chain Professional
In response to the Apprenticeship Levy to boost skills in the UK economy and to address the skills gap in our own industry, the Uniserve Group, CP Training, and the Supply Chain Academy, in conjunction with Leeds Trinity University, have government approval to jointly developing a new degree apprenticeship to address the growing skills and management gap in the UK supply chain sector.
This group, led and chaired by Uniserve arel developing the ‘standard’ for the degree, in terms of the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed in the sector and organisations including Nestle, Sainsburys, Florette UK & Ireland, PD Ports, Muller and Universities including Cranfield, Warwick (WMG), Hull and more are all working together to design this (unique to our industry) ‘business led’ degree apprenticeship.
What is a Degree Apprenticeship?
Degree Apprenticeships are:
- a way of combining working whilst studying
- a type of higher apprenticeship which can lead to a full undergraduate degree
- suitable for college leavers as an alternative route to gain a degree and for existing apprentices looking to progress in their career
Key Features:
- Apprentices must be over 16 years old
- Entry requirements vary, students may need up to five GCSEs at grade A* to C, including English and Maths
- An apprentice has full-time employment status rather than student status, and receives at least an apprentice’s minimum wage
- Students must show they have the ability to complete the programme – the demands of the apprenticeship will vary across training providers, employers and job roles
- Degree apprenticeships combine university study and workplace learning to enable apprentices to gain a full bachelor’s or master’s degree
- Degree apprenticeships are co-designed by employers ensuring that apprentices are equipped with the skills employers need.
An apprenticeship usually takes between 1 and 4 years to complete. They are made up of three parts – all completed on-the-job, online or in a classroom.
Degree apprentices are in employment throughout the duration of their study, splitting their time between university study and the workplace. Apprentices will gain a full bachelor’s or master’s degree from a university while simultaneously earning a wage and getting real on-the-job experience in their chosen profession.
The degree, as a primary part of the apprenticeship, is designed in partnership with employers to make sure it covers the relevant skills and knowledge the industry is looking for. The cost of course fees for degree apprenticeships is shared between government and employers, the apprentice does not pay fees.
An apprentice can be a new employee into your organisation or an existing member of staff studying in the workplace at undergraduate or masters level.
Benefits for Employers:
- Makes effective use of Apprentice Levy
- Addresses business needs and skill shortages
- Work-based to provide departmental and organisational impact
- Increases organisational agility, skills and flexibility
- Help you manage your talent more effectively
- Helps with succession planning
- Identifies and upskills high-potential staff
Benefits for Individual Employees:
- A degree-level qualification directly relevant to what the employer wants
- No student debt
- Work experience relevant to the employee’s degree
- Employees continue to earn and work while studying
- Access to leading-edge teaching and learning