Apprenticeship Levy Management Service From Cogent Skills Services for science industries
Driven by their productivity agenda, the government is committed to achieving three million apprenticeship starts by summer 2020. To achieve this the government introducied an Apprenticeship levy in April 2017 a fundamental change to the way apprenticeships in England are funded. Employers from both the public and private sectors, with a paybill of more than 3 million, now pay a 0.5 per cent levy to fund apprenticeships. Levy paying employers reclaim their contribution via a digital voucher; this voucher can then be used to pay for Apprenticeship training and assessment. How the apprenticeship levy will affect your business: The levy applies to all organisations with an annual paybill of over 3 million, regardless of whether you already employ apprentices or not. It is payable by employers in the UK at the rate of 0.5% of the payroll cost through PAYE, alongside income tax and National Insurance. Public sector organisations also pay 0.5% of their paybill into the levy. In addition, public sector organisations must meet the legislative requirements contained within the Enterprise Bill, meaning that apprentices must make up 2.3% of the total workforce. Funding bands are in place for Apprenticeship Frameworks and Standards from Level 2 to Level 7, showing you how much you can draw down. How can Cogent Skills Services help? We can help you to plan your organisational strategy for apprenticeships, highlighting the opportunities for talent management and succession planning with our Apprenticeship Levy Management Service. We can work with you in utilising the levy for new recruits and existing employees, through apprenticeships. A key feature of our Apprenticeship Levy Management Service is our expert Apprenticeship Advisers, whose role is to work with you to gain a thorough understanding of your training and development needs. Apprenticeship Advisers undertake a training needs analysis, and work with your teams to develop levy implementation plans. Our Apprenticeship Levy Management Service gives clear visibility of apprenticeship activity and progress through performance reports. Features of the Apprenticeship Levy Management Service: We look at your organisation s skills needs and help you understand the full range of learning opportunities to create apprenticeships. This includes: An assessment of your current vacancies The training requirements you have for existing employees Your future recruitment plans
The building blocks to a skilled workforce Transform your business with a range of cost-effective business solutions from Cogent Skills Services to ensure you capitalise on the Apprenticeship levy. Our apprenticeship solutions can be provided at a number of levels, on a project basis, at departmental level, across one or multiple sites or at an organisation-wide level. It is completely flexible and based on an initial detailed scoping of your requirements. Prior to conducting the scoping exercise we begin by offering our clients a complimentary Organisational Needs Analysis which allows us to set out which solutions you require - we recognise that you may have in-house capacity in some areas and not in others, so you can select the solutions that best suit your needs. Understanding the who, what, where, when, why and how Scoping Who would you like to train using the Apprenticeship levy; existing members of staff, new recruits or a combination of the two? What apprenticeship standards are best aligned to your job roles and the needs of the business? Where do you have skills gaps in your organisation that could be filled with apprenticeships? When you have identified the types of apprenticeship you will be using for training, how will you match your requirements with training provision? Why not use the Apprenticeship levy to change the way you upskill across the entire organisation? How much Apprenticeship levy will your organisation have available to spend on apprenticeships and how much the government will contribute towards the cost of training? The scoping service is delivered on a consultancy basis with the results being presented in the form of an action plan. If you require full support to implement the recommendations then you could use our Apprenticeship Levy Management Service (option 3). Do you need help to attract and screen apprentices? Our recruitment service includes: Recruitment Preparation of a job description based upon your specific requirements and agreed criteria. Advertising your vacancy - through our extensive channels and the Apprenticeship Service, capturing all candidates who apply for a vacancy in a job specific database. Screening candidates - we will screen CVs and applications, identify the most suitable candidates for interview stage and advise unsuccessful candidates. Engaging with candidates - we will arrange interviews, prepare and coach candidates before their interview Informing candidates - we will advise successful and unsuccessful candidates on your behalf and provide them with constructive feedback. Matching provision - upon appointing your apprentice we will match their apprenticeship with the most suitable training provision. Our standard recruitment costs are 10% of the apprentices annual wage.
How are you going to manage your vision for apprenticeships? Levy Management Our Apprenticeship Levy Management Service puts in place the recommendations made under the scoping exercise and includes ongoing support to ensure that funds are recovered and are used to best effect. You will receive: A detailed Apprenticeship Levy Implementation Plan, outlining milestones and responsibilities for key actions. Ongoing support in the management of your apprentices. Links to a training provider(s) throughout the duration of the apprenticeship, with Cogent Skills Services monitoring the delivery A dedicated Apprenticeship Adviser to support you and your apprentice(s) through the duration of the programme. Management of financial transactions through the Apprenticeship Service, ensuring compliance with funding rules and guidance. Our levy management service is costed per apprentice. Discount apply for larger volumes. Is headcount a barrier to recruiting new talent? How are you going to employ new apprentices? Outsourced Employment The Outsourced Employment solution allows you to receive options one, two and three with the addition of the Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) solution. The ATA that means that we can legally employ your apprentices on our headcount, managing the HR and payroll duties on your behalf as well as planning and arranging the training. We screen, interview and select the top candidates for you to see. Once you have chosen your successful candidate we employ the apprentice on your behalf. As the host employer you set the apprentice s wage and we invoice you for their wage and our service charge.
Our solutions in more detial... 1. Scoping The output of the scoping exercise is an Apprenticeship Levy Implementation Plan that gives you a structured way forward to use the levy with maximum efficiency for new recruits or existing employees. Each plan details: The most appropriate apprenticeship standard for your business and the associated costs Modes of delivery and levels Suggested additional bolt-on training Key milestones (start dates, observations and assessments) Options for the training provider and end-point assessment organisations Information on funding opportunities The plan also details the expected employer commitment to allow your apprentice to flourish and develop their theoretical and practical knowledge in the workplace, aiming for the successful completion of their apprenticeship and ensuring they become a key member of the team. Plans are produced per apprentice and will be used throughout the apprenticeship programme by your dedicated Apprenticeship Adviser to ensure successful delivery. 2. Recruitment Our team is made up of experts in building targeted recruitment campaigns, recruitment processes and outsourcing strategies. Whatever your requirements are, we will create a bespoke, Cogent supported solution for your business, whilst protecting your employer brand. 3. What you can expect from the Apprenticeship Levy Management service The Apprenticeship Levy Management Service carries a range of options to support you on an ongoing basis and is designed to implement our recommendations made under the scoping exercise. Services may include: Mapping existing training provision and programmes to Apprenticeships Mapping job roles to Apprenticeship standards Profiling Apprenticeship starts (Frameworks / Standards, learner numbers, start dates, costs and assessments) Procuring provision and negotiating the price of each Apprenticeship 4. Outsourced Apprenticeship Employment Overcome the barriers to taking on apprentices with our Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) Cogent Skills Service s operates an ATA, and is quality assured by the National Apprenticeship Service. This means that we can support you to employ apprentices where you wouldn t normally be able to, by outsourcing your apprentice employment and placing them on our headcount. Cogent Skills Services will has its own levy account and with your apprentices employed by us on our ATA, we will be able to access Levy funds via the Apprenticeship Service to fund the training of your apprentices. This allows us to manage the delivery of your entire apprenticeship programme, for both new recruits and existing employees. More detail on how levy funding works with ATAs is set out in the FAQ section. Our recruitment process is designed to actively source the best candidate for each individual opportunity. We provide a quality service and central to this is taking time to understand your needs. It is important to us that we build a high level of synergy between you and the candidate; this allows us to deliver the best candidate within the appropriate timescales.
Frequently Asked Questions Can I outsource the management or employment of my apprenticeships? You can outsource the employment and management of your apprentices to an ATA. We will work with you to design your organisational strategy for apprenticeships, highlighting the opportunities for talent management, succession planning and the diversification of workforce, which the levy brings. And from an employment point of view, you can place your apprentices on our headcount. This means that we will take full responsibility for the payroll, sickness and absence, progression planning, appraisals and mentoring. Could a course of learning or a qualification be turned in to an apprenticeship? Yes it can be. For example, an organisation looking to develop an employee in their HR team using a CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Human Resources at a cost of 5,000 can also consider developing their employee by undertaking a Higher Apprenticeship in Human Resource Management, this apprenticeship standard contains the same CIPD qualification above and you can use 5,000 from the levy pot to fund it procured using the digital voucher. Rather than train using an NVQ Level 3 in Processing Industries Operations at a cost to the business of 9,500 you could put your employee on a Level 3 Science Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship allowing you to use up to 27,000 from the levy pot. Or you could use the chartered institute of management degree standard to achieve a full BA or BSc along with full chartered membership of CMI using 27,000 of levy instead of incurring the cost of attaining the degree and the chartered status from company funds. How will employers be able to access and spend the money? Levy paying employers will be able to reclaim their contribution via their digital voucher. This voucher will then be used to pay for Apprenticeship training and assessment. Non levy payers will still be able to access Government funding, but will not have a DAS account from day one. Can the funds in the digital account expire? Funds will expire 24 months after they enter an employer s digital account unless they are spent on apprenticeship training. This will also apply to any top-ups. What kind of training will be covered? Digital vouchers can be used for apprenticeships for all ages, types and sectors, using any approved Standards or SASE frameworks, and should be used to purchase training, assessment and certification. Apprenticeship Standards developed by the SIP Trailblazer programme are replacing the current Apprenticeship Frameworks, which will gradually be withdrawn. In the science industries the following Apprenticeship Standards and associated assessment plans have been published via the Life Sciences & Industrial Science Trailblazer Group: Laboratory Technician Science Manufacturing Technician Science Industry Maintenance Technician Laboratory Scientist Process Operator A full list of apprenticeship standards can be obtained from your Apprenticeship Adviser. Can I use the levy to fund existing employee training? Yes you can, so long as the training meets an approved apprenticeship standard or framework, the training provided allows your employee to acquire substantive new skills and the content of the training is materially different from any prior training or a previous apprenticeship. This same rule applies for employers seeking to put employees on an equivalent or a lower level qualification than that they have already achieved. Can I use an ATA under the levy? Yes, ATAs are recognised in the new reforms as providing an apprenticeship employment and management service for large and small companies alike. Employers choose to use ATAs if they have head count constraints or would prefer to outsource their levy and apprenticeship management activity either wholly or in part.
Contact us The Apprenticeship Levy Management Service has been designed to give you a holistic approach to the development of talent in your business. Contact us to find out more about: A pre-levy implementation plan Workforce development and apprenticeship planning Levy calculation and fund management through the Apprenticeship Service Training of your apprentices (new recruits and existing employees) Apprentice HR and Payroll management Contract management and reporting Speak to one of our Apprenticeship Advisers on 01925 515200 or email, info@cogentskills.com
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