Apprenticeships - employer handbook

Transcription

1 Apprenticeships - employer handbook

2 Welcome Thank you very much for choosing South Essex College for your apprenticeship needs. You have made a great choice for your business. It s more important than ever to make sure that our education system gives young people the skills and knowledge they need to get jobs; and gives you the skilled workforce you need in those jobs. One of the most important ways we do that, linking the world of education and the world of work, are our apprenticeships. Last year, the College and our partners trained almost 3,000 apprentices, the most in the area. Our dedicated team will be on hand to support you through every stage of the process, which this handbook helps to describe. I hope to speak with you in the coming months to discuss the impact your apprentices are making and if there is anything else we can do to support you in the future. Thanks again for choosing South Essex College. Each apprentice is just as valuable and just as valued; helping young people make the best possible start in life, and reaching their full potential. That s what apprenticeships do. University is important, but not for everyone - and apprenticeships can break open the door to the professions for more people than ever before, ensuring that no young person is left behind. Angela O Donoghue CBE Principal and Chief Executive Ashley, 20, Rayleigh Apprentice engineer at DP World Doing my apprenticeship at DP World has been great because I have the chance to put all the skills I have learnt at South Essex College to practical use.

3 What is an apprenticeship? The government definition of an apprenticeship states An apprenticeship is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme. Through their apprenticeship, apprentices gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills they need for their immediate job and future career. The apprentice gains this through a wide mix of learning in the workplace, formal offthe-job training and the opportunity to practice new skills in a real work environment Apprenticeships enable businesses to grow their own workforce of skilled and motivated individuals to help their business succeed. How do apprenticeships work? The employer will have the responsibility of deciding who they will hire as their apprentice to ensure that they are taking on the right person for the job. All apprenticeships have an element of off-the-job training, and apprentices are required to spend at least 20% of their working week away from normal duties in order to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required of the occupation. This may involve a programme of day or block release which requires the apprentice to attend College or it may be completed in the workplace. There a variety of ways that apprenticeships are modelled and this will be discussed with you when you speak with a representative from our apprenticeship team. We will work as flexibly as possible to ensure that the programme meets the needs of your business. As the employer you will be required to support and provide on-the-job training for your apprentice that enables them to develop practical skills and knowledge required to complete the programme. This is complimented by off-thejob learning that is delivered by South Essex College. At the initial planning of the programme you will be advised how the off-the- job learning will be structured and delivered and will be kept informed of your apprentice s progress throughout the duration of the programme. Who can be an apprentice? Anyone in England over the age of 16 can apply to be an apprentice. They must be eligible to work in England and not be engaged in any other full time learning. Apprenticeships are designed for people who need to develop a specific skills set because they are new to a particular job role or have had a significant change of role within their existing employment. Apprenticeships are not designed to accredit skills or knowledge already held by an existing employee. Reuben, 28, Grays Sales team apprentice, IKEA Apprenticeships give you the chance to learn about the industry you re in and earn while you learn.

4 How much does it cost you as the employer? Employing an apprentice is a very cost effective way of growing and developing your business. It provides the opportunity to train enthusiastic people to a skill level that your business need. Our sales executive will agree with you the cost of the specific apprenticeship programme that you are looking for and advise you what the programme includes. The government have published a comprehensive guidance document for employers regarding funding apprenticeships which can be found here: data/file/605004/employer_rules_v2_final.pdf The apprenticeship levy The apprenticeship levy requires all employers operating in the UK, with a pay bill over 3 million each year, to make an investment in apprenticeships. These employers benefit from this investment by training apprentices. The levy is charged at 0.5% of your annual pay bill and will be in force for all apprentices who start on or after 1st May If you are a levy payer, you will access funds from a new digital apprenticeship service account and will be able to use this to pay for training and assessment of apprentices in England. A short, useful video that provides guidance on how to set up and activate your levy account has been published and can be found by following the link below: watch?v=xdyetj16e38 The cost of apprenticeships delivered by South Essex College vary depending on the programme and this will be discussed with you in detail by our dedicated sales team to ensure the programme meets the needs of your business and your apprentices. Non-levy paying employers If you are an employer with a pay bill of less than 3 million you will be required to make a co-investment payment of 10% of the cost of the apprenticeship programme with the remainder being funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the European Social Fund (ESF). The cost of the apprenticeship will vary depending on the occupation and level and this will be discussed with you during your meeting with our dedicated sales team. Our sales executives will advise you what the cost of the programme will be and what that cost includes. There will be opportunity to specify your exact needs and what can be negotiated to suit these needs. There may be additional activity that you wish to be included in the apprentice s programme which is not fundable by the ESFA and will therefore be charged in addition to the cost of the apprenticeship. You will be able to agree payment terms for the apprenticeship programme with one of our sales executives to ensure it suits you and your business but you should be aware that the first payment for any apprentice must be made within the first four weeks of the learner being enrolled on the programme.

5 Micro employers If you are an organisation who employs 45 members of staff or less, you will fall into the micro organisation category. The government have pledged to fully fund apprentices employed by micro organisations if they are aged (or 15 years old if the apprentice s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31st August OR are and either has: an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) provided by the local authority, or has been in the care of the local authority If you employ a 19+ learner who does not qualify as above, a co-investment payment of 10% of the cost of the training is payable and the ESFA will fund the remaining 90% Incentives The government recognises the investment employers make when they employ an apprentice. In cases where apprentices are or are and either holds an education and health care plan or has been in the care of the local authority, the government understands that this may involve more investment in both training and supervision. In order to provide further support, businesses who employ apprentices in either of these categories will receive an incentive payment of 1000 per qualifying apprentice. This is paid in two instalments with 50% payable 90 days after the apprentice starts and the remaining 50% payable 365 days after the apprentice starts. Apprenticeship wages As you will be employing the apprentice you will be responsible for paying the apprentice s salary which will include paying for the time spent in off- the-job learning. Apprentices should be paid at least the current National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate for apprentices (for year olds and 19+ in their first year of study. From their 366th day, apprentices that have turned 19 (or are 19 at start) require at least the standard minimum wage for their age group (not apprenticeship minimum wage). At all times, the employer understands that they are responsible for ensuring that their employees are paid the correct NMW rate and increments are applied when these rates increase. We recommend apprentice wages naturally be increased as they develop on programme. Further information regarding this is available at:

6 What else do I need to know? Apprenticeships are relevant to both new and existing employees, so like your existing staff, most of your existing employment conditions will apply, including a written contract of employment that sets out an apprentices terms and conditions of employment & training. It is important to remember that an apprentice is an employee who should receive the same information and treatment as any other member of your existing workforce. Job title & description The apprentice must have an assigned job description and title. They should have a list of their duties including their start date, details of any probationary period and the duration of the contract. If they are employed on a fixed term contract, it must exceed the duration of the learning programme that the apprentice will work towards. Hours of work The employer will set the hours of work that the apprentice will be contracted to complete. Apprentices are subject to the Working Time Regulations and as such apprentices aged should not exceed 40 hours per week. Over 19+ apprentices should not be contracted to work more than 48 hours per week. Where any apprentice works less than 30 hours a week the programme will be extended proportionately from our standard durations to comply with government rules. This includes temporary periods, but excludes holidays and other occasions under legal rights to time off. Annual leave Apprentices are subject to the same working regulations as all other staff and minimum annual leave entitlements should be set out in their contract of employment. Apprentices should accrue their annual leave from the first day of employment. Disciplinary and grievance procedures and sickness arrangements As set out above, apprentices are to be treated in the same way as all other employees. They should be made aware of your disciplinary and grievance procedures at the start of their employment and the procedures to be followed in the event of sickness. Any issues relating to the behaviours of your apprentice can be discussed with their assessor in order to prevent any barriers to learning developing and to ensure issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. If your apprentice is sick when they are due to attend College we will inform you the same day. We will also inform you of any unauthorised absences. Existing employees wishing to undertake an apprenticeship will need to evidence that they have had a significant change to their job role which would warrant the delivery of new learning.

7 So how does it all work? South Essex College will support you throughout your journey as an employer of apprentices. We will ensure you have advice and guidance on hand when needed and ensure that our efforts are focussed on meeting your business needs and the training & development needs of your apprentice. Some of our support services are listed below, but please feel free to speak with one of our apprenticeship sales executives or your personal tutor/assessor if there is any other information or support you require: personalised recruitment service which includes selection & screening support appropriate advice & guidance on the most appropriate training to enable flexibility that suits your business need personal tutor/assessor assigned to your organisations to support you and your apprentice(s) agree learning content with you to ensure your apprentice is developing the most appropriate skills and knowledge for their role within your organisation. provide clear information on costs, duration and assessment requirements provide information on timetables, training, plans, assessment, progress reviews and learning content advice on providing induction and on the job training to your apprentice(s) provide regular updates of your apprentice(s) progress and advise you of any issues including attendance, punctuality and attitude provide your apprentice(s) with additional learning support if required provide a professional and highly qualified delivery team with relevant vocational qualifications and Industry experience. work with you to evaluate the benefits of the training programme to your organisation provide advice on future training & development needs and progression routes for your apprentice(s)

8 What does an apprenticeship involve? Framework or Standard? Apprenticeships have undergone significant reform over the last five years. The government has implemented this reform over a period of time following a review of the provision in November As a result of the review the current offer of frameworks is being phased out and being replaced by Apprenticeship Standards. These Standards have been written by employer groups known as Trailblazers and have been designed with the specific occupations in mind. The Standards themselves set out the skills, knowledge and behaviours (KSBs) that the apprentice must demonstrate in order to complete the programme. They include a synoptic end point assessment (EPA) which the apprentice must pass in order to complete the apprenticeship successfully. The image below shows how the apprenticeship journey has changed for apprentices working towards an Apprenticeship Standard compared to an Apprenticeship Framework. Figure 1: Source Education & Training Foundation: Future Apprenticeship Toolkit Emily, Royal Opera House Our apprenticeship programme is really good because we know that the apprentices are getting an excellent education while they work in a real theatre setting.

9 Will my apprentice be on a Standard or a Framework? As a provider of apprenticeships, we aim to be as flexible as possible within the restraints of the programme on offer. Not all apprenticeship programmes are ready to be delivered as a Standard and will remain as Frameworks until such time that the Standard is available. In some areas, the delivery of a Standard or a Framework may be negotiated with the employer based around their needs and that of the learners. For other sectors and occupations, the College has taken the decision to continue to offer Frameworks only for a variety of reasons including progression opportunities, quality of content or delivery restrictions. Regardless of the type of apprenticeship your learner is on, we will ensure that the programme is high quality and enables your apprentice to develop the skills and knowledge that they need to progress in their career. Apprenticeship Frameworks always consist of a number of accredited qualifications, these will include competency and knowledge qualifications as well as personal learning & thinking skills and employer rights & responsibilities. Apprenticeship Standards may not have any accredited qualifications built in but the programme will meet the skills, knowledge and behaviours set out in the standard. If, as an employer, you wish for a specific qualification to be built into the programme this can be discussed with the apprenticeships team but may need to be funded outside of the apprenticeship programme. Please speak with our sales executive or one of the apprenticeship team for more information. Functional Skills Apprenticeship Frameworks and Standards require the learner to work towards a required level of maths and English. The level set will depend on the level of the apprenticeship that the learner is undertaking. For some Apprenticeship Frameworks, in addition to maths and English functional skills, learners may be required to undertake and complete an ICT functional skill. Where a learner is completing a framework, they MUST complete and achieve all of the required functional skills in order to successfully complete the programme. If a learner is working towards an Apprenticeship Standard, they MUST achieve the required functional skills before they reach the gateway. This is the point before the learner completes their end point assessment (EPA) Some learners may be exempt from completing functional skills due to their prior attainment. This will be discussed and identified on an individual basis and you will be advised which functional skills your learners are required to complete and those, if any, they may be exempt from. In all cases we must hold appropriate evidence of the learner s prior attainment before an exemption can be applied. Functional skills are funded separately by the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and employers are not required to contribute to the cost of this training. You must however, be aware that these elements are of equal importance to any vocational skills development and the learner may be required to complete most, if not all of these aims off-the-job. We endeavour to make all delivery as flexible as possible to meet the needs of your business, but this will also need to be balanced with how best the learner will achieve these aims and what support they might need in order to do so.

10 End Point Assessment (EPA) This only relates to apprenticeship standards; each apprenticeship standard sets out the requirements of the EPA. You will be made aware of what is involved in your learner s EPA and they will be prepared for this fully. Learners must achieve their EPA in order to compete their apprenticeship. The EPA is carried out independently of the College. This is to ensure that the assessment of the learner s skills, knowledge and behaviours is unbiased and robust. Organisations who undertake the EPA must be registered on the Apprenticeship Register of Assessment Organisations. This is a robust due diligence process which is assessed by the government to ensure that organisations meet the required standards to carry out the EPA. We will discuss with you which organisations carry out EPA for the programmes your learners are undertaking and help you to make an informed decision about which organisation to employ to complete this function. The cost of the EPA is usually around 20% of the cost of the programme as a whole and our dedicated sales team will discuss this cost with you in detail. You can view the organisations who are on the Assessment Register by following this link. government/collections/ register-of-apprenticeassessment-organisations We aim to ensure that learners are fully prepared for their EPA and will only recommend that they are entered if we are sure that they have a good chance of passing. If, however, they do not pass the EPA first time we will ensure that learners receive the right support and will arrange a resit. The topic of resits will be discussed in detail with the tutor/assessor once the learner starts.

11 Employer responsibilities When your apprentice is signed up you will sign a learning agreement/commitment statement which will set out the business requirements when agreeing to employ an apprentice. The main points of this are detailed below, but you are required to ensure that you are fully conversant with the requirements set out in the commitment statement: employ the apprentice subject to your usual terms and conditions of employment and issue the apprentice with a contract of employment, including meeting requirements for the National Minimum Wage. The contract of employment must be long enough to allow the learner to complete their apprenticeship successfully comply with the working time directive year olds must not exceed 40 hours work per week. Where any apprentice works less than 30 hours a week the programme will be extended proportionately from our standard durations to comply with government rules. This includes temporary periods, though excludes holidays and other occasions under legal rights to time off. Where employment is for less than 30 hours contractually, the reasons for this should be explained allow a South Essex College representative to carry out a workplace health & safety assessment of the workplace before the apprentice begins their learning. This includes an initial workplace induction ensuring that key health & safety information is clear provide sufficient supervision for the apprentice at all times secure the mandatory industry and legal requirements for employees within your sector such as DBS and health & safety checks support your apprentice by participating in 10 weekly progress reviews throughout the duration of their programme agree to provide your views on the quality and delivery of training through annual employer surveys wherever possible, notify us at least 24 hours in advance, if for any reason the apprentice and/or employer representative is/are unable to attend a scheduled review or training/ assessment session liaise with the South Essex College personal tutor/assessor to ensure that the apprentice is able to apply their learning and skills within the workplace provide the apprentice with time to learn and study allowing them to attend training, supervising their activity in the workplace and ensuring their health & safety. Learners must spend 20% of their working week undertaking off-the job training. This may involve day release session delivered on College premises but the exact delivery methods will be discussed with you prior to your learner starting the programme

12 A little more detail! Health & Safety requirements It is the employer s responsibility to ensure that they fully comply with all health & safety processes. This means to ensure the health & safety of the apprentice by having appropriate systems and supervision in place at all time. It is the responsibility of the employer to inform South Essex College (either by telephone or ) of any accidental or nonaccidental occurrences resulting in serious injury to the apprentice in addition to accident reporting protocols. The initial workplace assessment carried out by South Essex College could result in a refusal to proceed with the learning programme if it is clear that the apprentices may be at risk of harm. Employer and Public Liability Insurance It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that appropriate liability insurance is in place to protect themselves and their staff. South Essex College will request sight of the insurance details during the initial workplace assessment and will record renewal when they occur for the duration of the learning programme. Safeguarding We will provide you with specific guidance on what to do should an apprentice disclose sensitive or personal information or make an allegation about a colleague or manager within a business. Equality & Diversity South Essex College is committed to the advancement and promotion of equality and diversity for all learners, employees, and all other users of the College. Our ethos is to create and maintain conditions whereby learners and staff are treated solely on their own merits, abilities and potential, regardless of age, disability, race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage or civil partnership. We therefore ask all employers to comply with our expectations and standards Prevent & British Values South Essex College aims to create a learning environment that promotes and develops values in learners that will enable them to live in and embrace a diverse society. To be tolerant and respectful to others and to abide by the rules of democracy and law that exists to protect them. PREVENT The Prevent Duty is the duty in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act on specified authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. South Essex College takes this duty very seriously and as such we work with both learners and employers to ensure they understand their responsibilities to ensure learners are safe from radicalisation and extremism. You will receive an employer s guide to keeping learners safe which will provide information about what to look for and what you can do to help. We also require all of our learners to complete an online training session which provides them with all of the information they need to keep safe. Termination and period of notice If an issue cannot be resolved through close liaison with the College staff or managers, and this results in a need to terminate the learner s contract of employment, a minimum period of one week s notices should be given for employees with continuous employment of more than one month but less than two years (unless a contract states longer). College complaints procedure If you wish to raise a complaint, you will need to, in the first instance, raise this with your personal tutor/assessor or Internal Quality Assurance Co-ordinator (IQA) who will try to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. If the complaint requires escalation, please contact the Head of Apprenticeships directly. Contact details for relevant individuals can be found on the back cover of this handbook.

13 How to employ an apprentice Decide what do you need Make contact Decide which area of your business would benefit most from an apprentice. A full list of apprenticeship programme as can be found on the South Essex College website by following this link Ring our apprenticeship team on (Business hours) Our apprenticeship sales executives will listen to your requirements and advise on the best course of action. Advertise your vacancy One of our Apprenticeship Sales Executives will work with you to recruit an apprentice and will signpost you to our recruitment specialists within the College to help with selection and screening processes.

14 Apprenticeships & Subcontracting South Essex College now has a dedicated Apprenticeships team who will be able to help you with any aspect of the Apprenticeship programme. We liaise closely with the academic departments within the College to provide you with the very best customer service possible. Meet the team overleaf.

15 Lisa MacCormac Head of Apprenticeships & Subcontracting Helen Sharpe Deputy Head of Apprenticeships & Subcontracting Rachael Hawkins Learner Progress Manager Queries/Issues/Information: Telephone: / Mobile: Queries/Issues/Information: Helen.Sharpe@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: / Mobile: Learner enquiries, including progress: Rachael.Hawkins@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: Julie Pauley Apprenticeships Sales Executive Ben Aston Apprenticeship Officer Nicky Guilder Apprenticeship Officer Initial apprentice applications/ employer enquiries: Julie.Pauley@southessex.ac.uk Mobile: Business Admin, AAT, Customer Service, ICT, Digital Learning Design, Logistics, Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools administration: Ben.Aston@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: Construction Trades, Catering & Hospitality, Creative & Cultural industries liaison and administration: Nicky.Guilder@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: Diane Ridgley Apprenticeship/ Employer Engagement Officer Hazel Barnes Co-ordinator Cristina Monachello Administrator Engineering and AGE Grant administration: Diane.Ridgley@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: / General enquiries/vacancy administration: Hazel.Barnes@southessex.ac.uk Telephone: General enquires: Cristina.Monachello@southessex.ac.uk Telephone:

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