How will employing an apprentice benefit my company? Employing an Apprentice can bring numerous benefits to your business including: • increased productivity. • increased employee satisfaction. • increased loyalty and commitment. • reduced staff turnover. Apprentices will be trained to understand how your industry works, helping to ensure your future workforce is exactly the way you want it to be. They can generate new ideas and creativity to expand your business and are a cost-effective way of achieving a return on investment.
What training do I need to provide? You will need to train a new apprentice in their job role and provide them with a mentor, as you would with any new member of staff. The apprentice however, may need a little more support, especially if they have not worked in your industry before or are learning a new role. We will visit your premises every 4 to 6 weeks to help with the training and guide your apprentice through their programme.
How much does it cost to employ an apprentice? Apprentices are employees of your company and you are responsible for paying your apprentice’s wage. You must pay at least the Apprenticeship minimum wage and can find out more by clicking here. The Apprenticeship minimum wage relates to apprentices aged 16 to 18, or aged 19 and above in the first year of their Apprenticeship. For apprentices aged under 25, you may not need to pay National Insurance contributions during their training. Find out more by clicking here.
What days and hours do apprentices work? Apprentices are employees of your company, with the same rights and responsibilities as any other employee. As such, you will decide the days and hours you would like apprentices to work (which must be at least 30 hours per week), their rest breaks and paid holiday entitlement etc, in line with Employment Law and the Working Hours Directive. If you employ an apprentice aged under 18, the law states that they must not work more than 8 hours per 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.
How are disciplinary procedures handled? They are handled like any other employee’s, but NLTG are on hand to provide help and support if you feel it is necessary.
What funding and grants are available? If your apprentice is aged: • 16-18; or • 19-24 and is a care leaver or has a Local Authority Education, Health & Care Plan … you’ll receive a £1,000 incentive payment for each apprentice. Payments will be made in two equal instalments; the first once the apprentice has been on programme for 3 months and the second after the apprentice has been on programme for 12 months. (It may take up to 9 weeks after the incentive payment dates for funds to be processed and transferred). Grants may also be available but the availability and requirements for these change on a regular basis so you are best speaking to us for up-to-date information. Depending upon the size of your company, different funding arrangements are in place for Apprenticeship training. For full details, please click here.
What is the recruitment process / how do I raise a vacancy? Once you’re happy you know all you need to know about recruiting an Apprentice, you’ll need to raise an Apprenticeship vacancy with us. You can do this by contacting our Employer Engagement Team (email: eet@nltg.co.uk , tel: 01254 300779) or by clicking the ‘Have a Question’ tab to the right and completing the online enquiry form. Once we have all the vacancy details we’ll publish it on our website and other partner’s websites to attract applicants. We also offer a free 16-18 year old Recruitment Service. We’ll look at all our current 16-18 year old applicants seeking the type of job you have advertised and check if they meet your requirements. We’ll give you a call with any applicant details and see if you would like to interview them. If so, we’ll contact the applicant on your behalf to advise them of interview details. We’ll give you a call after interview to gain feedback and see if you would like to employ the applicant. If yes, we’ll inform the applicant of their start date, if not we’ll inform the applicant they were unsuccessful and repeat the process until you find the right candidate. Don’t forget if you have any exiting employees, including graduates, who you wish to train through an Apprenticeship, simply contact our Employer Engagement Team.
What is required of me? If you employ an apprentice or choose to up-skill your workforce via Apprenticeships, there are some things you need to have in place. NLTG will support you through this process, with advice on the specific requirements, such as Health & Safety. To find out more, please download our Employer Handbook. As an employer you will need to ensure your apprentices: • are employed in a real job that gives them the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to pass their assessment. • are paid at least the minimum wage and have a contract of employment. • work towards an approved Apprenticeship Standard. Their training must last at least 12 months. • are paid for time spent training or studying for their Apprenticeship, whether at work or at a training provider. • have the same conditions as other employees working at similar grades or in similar roles. This includes: paid holidays; sick pay; any benefits you offer such as childcare voucher schemes; any support you offer such as coaching or mentoring.
