FOR YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Transcription

1 APPRENTICESHIPS FOR YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS E M P L O Y E R S EMPLOYERS GUIDE TO B R O C H U R E

2 CONTENTS Service Offer Benefits Funding Apprenticeship Levy Recruitment How it Works for your Business Frameworks/Standards Length of an Apprenticeship Employer Requirements The Apprentice Wage Health & Safety Safeguarding Pastoral Support Work Experience & Volunteering Supported Internships Case Studies Why employ an apprentice? City College Peterborough The heart of Peterborough Business Community. A message from the Principal Thank you for taking the time to read our Employer Guide to Apprenticeships which shows our professional employer engagement service dedicated to employers wishing to explore or recruit apprenticeships now and in the future. In my six years, as Principal of City College Peterborough, I have had the honour to visit and meet with some of the most interesting, diverse and innovative businesses within Peterborough s business community. What has been evident from the start is the passion and outstanding success apprenticeships bring to any business. Through recruiting high quality apprentices, those employers have reaped the rewards, through better trained employees, who build expertise, increase their staff skills base and improve productivity, growth and sustainability to their business. To support the success of those businesses our proven track record is evident in our recent Ofsted inspection (November 2016) which highlighted the Colleges outstanding ethos on employer engagement; "Highly effective employer engagement and recognises that apprenticeship provision has grown significantly over the past few years with success rates well above national rates". If, as an employer, you are already successfully employing apprentices but need to know more about the recent Government changes to apprenticeships or you are new to apprenticeships and considering recruiting an apprentice for the first time, then here at City College Peterborough we can provide you with a professional and experienced employer account manager dedicated to serving employers in the world of apprenticeships. We can t wait to speak to you, Pat Carrington Principal of City College Peterborough 2

3 What We Can Offer Your Business Dedicated account manager Training needs analysis undertaken to identify individual needs Interview support management Free recruitment service Tailored programmes Dedicated address Free Vacancy Advertising and Recruitment Service City College Peterborough offers a free recruitment service for your apprenticeship role. We will advertise the positions and screen all applicants prior to sending their details over to your company for consideration. City College Peterborough will assess the applicant's functional skills in English and maths, as well as their ICT abilities before suggesting them for the position. As the employer you will be able to shortlist candidates and hold interviews in order to select the candidate that is right for you. Tailored Apprenticeship Programmes Apprentices can fulfil a number of roles within all businesses, from administration to catering through to team leading and management. Depending on the type of role you require, an apprenticeship can be tailored to suit the requirements of your job role. This provides greater flexibility and ensures that your apprentice is being trained to meet the needs of your business and the role you require. of employers reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service

4 Why Invest in an Apprentice? An apprentice brings a huge return on investment for you as an employer. The pay rate for an apprentice depends upon numerous factors, but the recruitment team at City College Peterborough will be more than happy to explain this in further detail. The National Minimum Wage for apprentices applies to those who are aged under 19 and those who are aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age. You can find out more about the current National Minimum Wage for apprentices on Develop your Apprentice into a Valuable Team Member An apprentice can enter your business, as a novice or be an existing member of staff and you will quickly see their productivity increase, their knowledge expand and their capabilities strengthen. With an apprentice from City College Peterborough you can feel reassured that your apprentice will be an ideal organisational fit, as they will have learnt and developed according to your business needs and your working practices. Apprentices will transfer new ideas and fresh thinking into the workplace. Motivate & Increase your Workforce's Productivity Not only do apprenticeships deliver real financial returns, they help to improve productivity for you and to be more competitive. Training apprentices is more cost effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower overall training and recruitment costs. Apprentices are often motivated, dedicated members of a team as they learn, earn and gain hands-on experience. Here at City College Peterborough we have a great variety of apprenticeship programmes available for anyone aged 16 and over, and we are always looking for businesses to step on board too. If you would like to know more about how an apprentice can benefit your business, please contact or apprenticeships@citycollegepeterborough.ac.uk of employers say that productivity has improved

5 Funding for Apprenticeships Due to the reforms that were introduced in May 2017, the funding for apprenticeships is now dependent upon the age of the apprentice and the number of employees within the company. For some apprentices aged the Government will fully fund the programme, with others there may be a 10% contribution and for some employers the costs will be provided from their levy pot/digital account. In addition, there are incentives available for certain apprentices. We understand that this can be confusing for employers, so please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on to discuss this further. Further information on funding is available at Apprenticeship Levy The Government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to improve the quality and quantity of apprenticeships in England. Apprenticeships benefit employers and individuals by boosting the skills of their workforce and help to improve economic productivity. The reforms will give employers more control over designing, choosing and paying for apprenticeship training. The Government will double the annual level of apprenticeship spending to 2.5bn, which will be funded by the new Apprenticeship Levy. The Government target is 3 million apprenticeships by Employers with a wage bill less than 3 million will not pay the levy but will contribute 10% towards the cost of the apprenticeship training and assessing and the Government will co-invest the remaining 90%. Employers with a wage bill of 3 million or more will pay into the Levy. This is 0.5% of their wage bill which is topped up monthly by 10% from the Government. There is also 15,000 allowance to offset against this each year. This is paid into their digital account to be spent on apprenticeships. Employers with less than 50 employees will not have to pay towards an apprenticeship, when taking on an apprentice aged between When an employer takes on an apprentice aged they will receive a 1000 grant to help towards additional costs such a equipment and support. Please do not hesitate to contact on to discuss this further or apprenticeships@citycollegepeterborough.ac.uk 5

6 The Recruitment The National Apprenticeship Service offers an on-line service which can be used to advertise and recruit an apprentice role for you. In order to use this service a training provider, such as City College Peterborough, will be required. City College Peterborough offers a free recruitment service for your apprentice role. We will advertise the positions and screen all applicants prior to sending their details over to your company for consideration. City College Peterborough will assess the applicant's functional skills in English and maths as well as their ICT abilities before suggesting them for a position. As the employer you will be able to shortlist candidates and hold interviews in order to select the candidate that is right for you. To help with recruitment, you may wish to consider the option of offering a traineeship. These programmes provide young learners with work experience and work preparation training and act as a stepping stone into an apprenticeship. This will allow you to assess their suitability for an apprentice role. To find out more about traineeships go to You can also discuss this with one of our account managers. How it works for your Business You will be appointed an assessor who is responsible for delivering the apprenticeship and carrying out any apprentice assessments. They will support you and your apprentice throughout the process. This could include visits to your workplace to provide training and to assess their competence against a set of standards or by delivering workshops within the college. The first few weeks of the apprenticeship can be the most challenging for an apprentice as they settle into the work environment. As an employer, you will need to provide a mentor to support them through their apprenticeship. We will ensure that the apprenticeship is tailored to meeting your needs and the apprentices job role. 6

7 Apprenticeship Framework/Standard All apprenticeship frameworks/standards are linked to specific job roles or occupations. There are three levels of apprenticeships available for those aged 16 and over. Intermediate Level Apprenticeships (Level 2) Advanced Level Apprenticeships (Level 3) Higher Level Apprenticeships (Levels 4 & 5) A typical framework for each level includes: A nationally recognised vocational qualification (NVQ/Diploma) Functional skills: English, maths and ICT A principal certificate that covers knowledge of sector area Personal Learning and Thinking Skills Employee Rights and Responsibilities City College Peterborough's apprenticeships: Length of an Apprenticeship The length of an apprenticeship varies depending on the prior skills level of the apprentice, the qualification being obtained and the industry sector. The minimum amount of time for an apprenticeship is 12 months. 7

8 On-the-job Learning As an employer, it is important that you provide your apprentice with an introduction into their role and continual on-the-job learning. Through on-the-job learning an apprentice will develop job-specific skills that will enable them to fulfil the role and meet the requirements of their programme. During the course of the apprenticeship you can support your apprentice by the following; Help to Plan By identifying activities that can be used to generate evidence and setting targets for achievement and assessment. Observe and Analyse Monitor your apprentice and check their work regularly. Record any areas for improvement and give opportunities for practice. Give Feedback Discuss performance with your apprentice ensuring they input to the process. Be positive about things they have done well and be open and honest about any areas for improvement. Explain or Demonstrate Discuss ways of improving techniques and, if possible, use examples of similar work or demonstrate better techniques. Functional Skills Courses As part of the apprenticeship framework/standard, your apprentice may be required to up-skill in functional maths and English in order to complete their programme. These requirements will be discussed at your sign-up meeting with our account managers. You may need to release your apprentice from their workplace to attend classes, if required. A member of the apprenticeship team will contact you to arrange a convenient date for them to attend. Provide Opportunities Ensure your apprentice has the opportunity to practice and develop their skills and aim to allocate activities which will encourage them. If possible, change their routines regularly to add a variety of tasks and provide further opportunities to learn. Evidence of Learning Apprentices will be required to gather evidence during their apprenticeship which supports and evidences their competency. City College Peterborough will provide assessment materials, an online portfolio and access to the Colleges' Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Evidence can be collected in many forms and is acceptable, as long as it helps to prove competence. This may include a written testimony, notes or an observation etc. Off-the-job Learning As part of their programme your apprentice will be required to complete 20% off-the-job training. This can take place in their normal place of work but must not be part of their normal role and must be directly relevant to their apprenticeship. This can include shadowing, attending theory sessions, mentoring, writing assignments, building their portfolio and attending meetings. The apprentice will be required to keep a log of these to show that they are meeting this requirement. Support from you and the assessor will assist them with this. 8

9 The Apprentice Wage Employers are responsible for paying an apprentice's wages and issuing their contract of employment. Apprentices must be paid at least the Apprenticeship National Minimum Wage.This applies to those who are: Aged under 19. Apprentices who are aged 19 and over but within the first year of their apprenticeship. Individuals not falling into these categories should be paid the standard National Minimum Wage rate for their age band. For more guidance on the current National Minimum Wage go to: Apprentices are also entitled to statutory Maternity and Sick Pay. Health and Safety Both the employer and City College Peterborough have a duty to ensure that the environment within your workplace is safe, secure and that the company complies with basic health and safety law. Therefore, prior to an apprentice starting within your work place, your account manager will require a copy of the company's Employer Liability Insurance certificate and will carry out a health and safety assessment. For further guidance please visit the HSE website: hse.gov.uk/youngpeople/apprentices.htm Safeguarding City College Peterborough has a statutory and moral duty to ensure that it functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and vulnerable adults receiving education and training. This includes ensuring that we have robust safeguarding and child protection policies in places and they are shared with employers. Your account manager will discuss the policy with you and provide you with a copy, including what you should do if you have any concerns with the wellbeing of your apprentice. Pastoral Support For those apprentices that require additional pastoral support, whether from the start of the programme or identified at a later stage, this can be arranged with the assessor and a support worker will work on a one-to-one basis to ensure the apprentice's needs are met. 9

10 Work Experience & Volunteering Would you be willing to help to develop the personal, social and employability skills of our learners? We believe that it is important to develop these skills so that our learners understand the standards that are expected in the workplace and how to become an important part of their community. We believe that by completing work experience or volunteering will help to build up their confidence and that by combining this with their technical skills, it will make them more ready for employment. By offering work experience or volunteering within your workplace then it will enable you to gain insight and feedback from a different perspective and will be a rewarding experience for all of those involved. The duration and timing of the placements can be flexible to meet your needs and ensure that they suit both parties. We have dedicated team of work experience officers in place who will assist you throughout the process and you will be allocated a named individual to support you as your point of contact. Supported Internships In addition to work experience and volunteering opportunities, we also offer supported internships for learners with learning difficulties or disabilities. This is a highly rewarding programme and you will be fully supported throughout the whole process by a dedicated member of staff. This will help to develop you from being fully supported to working independently within a practical job role. We will assist you throughout the recruitment process, from advertising to interviewing and employment. We would love to hear from you, if you would like to discuss any of these opportunities further. Please do not hesitate to contact us on

11 Why our employers value their apprentices and what they have to say: NetSupport, based in Market Deeping, provides innovative solutions to aid the management of desktop computers and their users in over 90 countries worldwide. NetSupport is a longstanding supporter of IT apprenticeships within their business. Andy Earp, Tech Support Manager, explained that NetSupport's technical support department recruit and train apprentices whose skills can be moulded to the business. " At NetSupport we're dedicated to giving apprentices an experience that will let them nurture their interests, whilst giving them the skills they need to become a core part of our business. Technical support is a really busy department. It depends great customer service but also passion and flare for IT. Our employees need to become completely at home with the NetSupport products - making in-house training a priority". Andy Earp - Technical Support Manager "The Peterborough School Nursery has found that employing apprentices has provided a 'home grown' supply of full time practitioners because it has allowed the apprentices to develop their skills and knowledge of how the Nursery operates though in-house support and training. These also develop the apprentice's childcare skills and often provides them with the opportunity to progress within the setting to become a full time permanent member of the team". Pauline Bellamy - The Peterborough School Nursery 11

12 CONTACT US T: City College Peterborough Brook Street Peterborough PE1 1TU City College Peterborough John Mansfield Centre Western Avenue Dogsthorpe Peterborough PE1 4HX Follow us