Welcome to Catch22 Apprenticeships and Employability (AE) 3 What are apprenticeships? 4-5 Recruitment and selection 6-10 Delivering the

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1 Catch22 Apprenticeships and Employability October

2 Welcome to Catch22 Apprenticeships and Employability (AE) 3 What are apprenticeships? 4-5 Recruitment and selection 6-10 Delivering the apprenticeship training

3 Thank you for considering taking on an apprentice and choosing Catch22 as your training partner of choice. This guidance document sets out useful information, hints, tips and suggestions for managing your apprentice(s) throughout their apprenticeship programme. 82% of employers take on Apprentices to build the skills capacity within their business and 75% say it has helped them with recruitment costs (with the average cost of filing a vacancy 5,000). Catch22 as your training provider of choice can support you to develop your talent pipeline for the future increasing business productivity by 214 per week. With 52% of employers having problems in finding suitably skilled recruits, Catch22 s philosophy is to grow your own through our Apprenticeship programme and Catch22 will help source, select and nurture your new talent. Sources: UKCES 2015, Centre for Economic business research 2013, British chamber of commerce Why Catch22 AE? Our vision, values, passion and reason for being is all about getting people inspired, motivated and enthusiastic about the world of work and succeeding in their future careers. Our approach is based on developing the best talent for employers that help their organisations to grow and develop. 92% of learners achieve positive outcomes on completing their Apprenticeship. We are a learning organisation and believe in continually improving and enhancing what we do. We are a valuable partner and believe in strong working relationships with employers based on respect, trust and exploration of future opportunities together. If you have any queries about your apprentices/training and think that we can help, please contact: Employer Apprenticeship handbook - July Catch22 Apprenticeships and Employability Talk apprenticeship@catch-22.org.uk Visit. catch-22.org.uk/employability Members of: 3

4 An apprenticeship is a work based learning programme, so apprentices can earn whilst they learn. Your Apprentice will work towards: National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Technical Certificate Functional Skills (Mathematics, English) Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) ERR (Employment Rights and Responsibilities) Workbook. The apprenticeships programme Catch22 offers can be found here. Training costs The cost to train an apprentice is subsidised by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). The amount of funding depends on the age of the apprentice and the qualification that they are working towards. Hiring an apprentice between 19 and 24- years-old is often co-funded between the employer and Catch22 and we will talk to you about this before any agreement begins. Catch22 as a training provider undertakes the training in partnership with you. Salary costs As an employer you must pay the apprentices wages and other related contributions including National Insurance if applicable. Apprenticeship Grant for employers of 16 to 24-year-olds (AGE 16-24) As an employer you are eligible if: you are a small to medium-sized (SME) English business with 50 or fewer employees your new apprentice is the first your business has hired or the first for 12 months or longer your new apprentice is aged 16 to 24-years-old. The National Apprenticeship Service will provide AGE 16 to 24 to eligible employers, in respect of qualifying apprentices, with an individual value of 1,500. Employers can be paid five grants in total during the lifetime of the initiative. 4

5 Figure 1 below outlines the recruitment and selection process Figure 1: Recruitment and selection process for hiring your apprentices Employer wants to create an Apprenticeship role Employer contacts Catch22 AE Catch22 Employability Broker arranges visit within five working days Catch22 Broker undertakes an organisational needs analysis and pre-employment checks Apprenticeship job role created Employer shares job descriptions with Catch22 Catch22 undertakes recruitment campaign on behalf of employer Catch22 supports employer to match, screen and select potential candidates for the role(s) Employer interviews candidates for role(s) Employer appoints successful candidate(s) Apprentice induction at work (employer) Catch22 Apprenticeship Assessor assigned Training begins Apprentice is learning whilst earning Pre-employment checks Health and Safety All employers should take all the necessary steps to ensure the Health, Safety and Welfare of all persons participating in Apprenticeship programmes are of the same standard as the Company is required to do in relation to its employees under current relevant Health and Safety legislation in the UK. Health and Safety documentation and safety arrangements should be in place and monitored. These include Employers Liability Insurance, accident book, first aid facilities, fire precautions and where appropriate risk assessments and safety policies. 5

6 Catch22 Employability Brokers will undertake a Health and Safety audit prior to the Apprentice starting and assist employers with any questions on health and safety requirements and application to individual learners. Catch22 Apprenticeship Assessors will check the learners understanding of health and safety risk awareness. Catch22 will provide a safe and health working environment for learners at all times during the off the job training. If you require information on what your business is legally required to do for Health and Safety, a succinct leaflet can be found at Employer Apprenticeship handbook - July Employer and public liability insurance All employers must ensure that all apprentices participating in apprenticeship programmes are covered by policies of Employers and Public Liability Insurance, and that other insurance s (eg Motor Vehicle etc.) are affected to include cover in respect of injury, loss or damage caused by or to such learners to the extent required by law or otherwise considered necessary. Safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults Catch22 believes that every young person and adult deserves the chance to get on in life - no matter what. Key to this approach is our commitment and perseverance to ensuring that all learners who access our services are protected from harm and/or further harm. Catch22 seeks to safeguard the learners by: recruiting its staff safely implementing our safeguarding policies and procedures relating to children and young people, and vulnerable adults sharing information about concerns with agencies that need it, and involving learners and their parents/carers appropriately. If employers wish to report any issues relating to safeguarding, please contact your Apprenticeship Assessor immediately. Equality and diversity Catch22 is committed to equality of opportunity for its staff, apprentices and all members of the community. We value difference and diversity. We respect all our people for their individuality, abilities and aspirations. We will treat individuals with respect and be fair to them irrespective of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, nationality, religion, sexuality, status and any other distinction. We are committed to elimination of direct and indirect discrimination and will take appropriate action to implement this diversity policy. 6

7 It is the responsibility of every individual who works for Catch22 to make sure that they do not discriminate in any way. We ask that all employers support the Catch22 Policy by undertaking the same commitment in actively promoting equality of opportunity for all of their staff and learners. All employers should also take steps to ensure that all persons participating in Apprenticeship Training programmes are treated in the same way as the Company is required to treat its employees under the Equality Act Induction in the workplace Every apprentice is required to be given an induction by the employer. This should clearly communicate expectations of them, house rules and important information, such as: organisational structure health and safety fire procedures equality and diversity supervision procedures disciplinary procedures risk assessments mobile phone/social media usage policy. A Catch22 Apprenticeship Assessor will come into the employer s place of work within the first week of employment to sign the apprentice onto their framework and ensure that this 7

8 induction has taken place. This will require a maximum three hour time slot set aside to conduct a learning induction to ensure that the apprentice understands the apprenticeship programme content, curriculum and assessment arrangements. The Assessor will also undertake assessments with the apprentice to understand their learning style and other additional learning needs. The Assessor will also ask the employer to sign a workplace agreement confirming that the apprentice has been given a contract of employment. Contract of employment It is a legal requirement that all employed people should have a Contract of Employment. As an employer you will need to issue a Contract of Employment to your apprentices. All Apprentices must receive a written contract of employment within two weeks of starting. This contract of employment must be seen by Catch22. Apprentices must be employed on a contract of at least 366 days. If apprentices are required to complete functional skills as part of their qualification then an additional 30 days will need to be added to their contract for each functional skill. The Working Time Regulations have implications for companies taking on an apprentice in a work placement. Many of the special protections in these regulations for young workers under 18 will apply to apprentices, for example young workers must not exceed the 8 hour a day or 40 hours per week. They are also entitled to paid holidays and rest breaks of at least 30 minutes if their shift lasts more than four and half hours If you would like any advice and guidance regarding the contract please contact your Catch22 Employability Broker, Business Link, National Apprenticeships Service, ACAS or Direct Government website that has also produced a range of self-help guides and forms which you can access online. From 1 October 2015, the minimum wage rate is 3.30 per hour and for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age and can be found on It is up to you as an employer how much you pay your apprentices. The apprentice should work a minimum of 30 hours per week. This guideline is over ruled by the minimum wage regulations as and when appropriate for apprentices aged 19-years-old and over. All apprentices must receive a pay slip, or other evidence of payment. Disciplinary issues It is important that your apprentice has a clear structure set out from the beginning of the apprenticeship programme. You should expect them to adhere to the same professional standards as their colleagues, and they might need some additional guidance in the early 8

9 stages to understand workplace behaviour and etiquette. We advise that you deal with any disciplinary procedures using your standard company policy, and also ask that you make the Catch22 Assessor for the programme aware of any disciplinary issues. Ofsted inspections Ofsted are responsible for the independent inspection of apprenticeship programmes. Catch22 was inspected in Catch22 believes strong partnership working with employers is essential to ensure that apprenticeships are responsive to their needs and those of the learners. If future inspections take place, employers will be notified if the apprenticeship on their premises will be visited by Ofsted. Work Ready support Catch22 Apprenticeships and Employability delivers specific work ready programme to get learners and job seekers ready for apprenticeships and employment. Our approach is based on talent development. Our programme includes: sector skill programmes that are aligned to specific occupational roles and industrial sectors a focus on mindset for work skills and qualities work experience CV preparation support personalised job search and matching based practice and mock interviews. Catch22 can provide tailored sector skills programme for employers that want to access talent for their apprenticeship programmes. 9

10 Our Apprenticeship Assessors will plan the learners training programme with you and we will work together to deliver the training required to develop the apprentice s skills and help them achieve their qualifications. All apprentices will have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) from the start of their apprenticeship. The ILP contains details of your entire apprentice s training all technical and academic units, vendor qualifications and work based learning modules. It shows all of their learning objectives by date, and will be amended and monitored throughout the programme. Much of the training will take place within the workplace itself. This will typically involve apprentices developing their skills through observing others perform activities, practising themselves and learning from their supervisor. The more learning opportunities that you can provide; therefore, the greater range of skills the apprentice is likely to acquire which will be of benefit to your organisation. You may also wish to consider giving the apprentice projects to undertake, or want them to attend formal training sessions in the workplace that will develop their skills and knowledge even further. Assessing learner competence To gain the qualification a learner is required to collect evidence to demonstrate that they are competent in a range of different activities. Each learner is allocated a Catch22 Apprenticeship Assessor who will discuss and agree the best way of providing evidence to reach the national standard. This will involve sorting out material that occurs normally within the workplace or organising activities to demonstrate particular skills. Our Assessor will observe the learner carrying out tasks within the workplace, to make sure that their work is consistent and that the standard of work required can be reached over and over again. They will also examine pieces of work or information that the learner has collected to demonstrate competence. At each visit the Assessor will leave both the employer and the apprentice with an action plan. Getting the best from your apprentices Your apprentices are part your staff team and a resource and asset to your organisation or business. You can the best results from an apprentice by: assigning a work based mentor to them setting targets and reviewing these with them on a regular basis 10

11 involving them in organisational staff development, team building and social engagements. Improved productivity As with any employee it will take time for their productivity to improve, but within three months we would expect your apprentice to be making a useful contribution to your business. Once the majority of their training is completed the period from six to twelve months should see them undertaking the full scope of their role. Catch22 s Learner Code of Conduct exists to ensure that everyone can work and train in a pleasant and safe environment. The Code applies to all learners and you should abide by it at all times. We also recommend that you: treat the apprentice as a valuable member of staff allow the apprentice sufficient time with their Catch22 Assessor and to complete set tasks ensure a safe working environment communicate any concerns to the Catch22 Assessor. First point of call Once an Apprentice is employed by you, your first point of call or contact will always be your Apprenticeship Assessor employed by Catch22. Complaints If you wish to make a complaint about Catch22 Apprenticeship training provision please contact your Assessor or Emma Barrett-Peel, Head of Operations: emma.barrettpeel@catch-22.org.uk. All comments and complaints received will be acknowledged within three working days. Should the response require longer than 10 working days you will be contacted and informed of when Catch22 will be able to reply in full. 11