What is the Apprenticeship Levy?
The Apprenticeship Levy is a government scheme with an aim to create 3 million more Apprenticeships by 2020 in order to develop the skills businesses require, across the UK. The Apprenticeship Levy will affect those organisations who have an annual payroll of more than £3million. Should your organisation fall into this category, you will pay the Levy whether you currently employ Apprentices or not.
This came into effect in April 2017, the first payment being taken in May 2017 and all employers, Levy paying or not, will be financially supported by the government regarding Apprenticeship training. The levy you pay will be used to finance a new digital account, where vouchers can be used to train and upskill existing staff or recruit new Apprentices.
Irrespective of your Apprenticeship Levy contribution, Aspire Training Team can help you manage your specific Apprenticeship training requirements.
Why an Aspire Apprenticeship?
Whether it is apprenticeships or other staff qualifications you require, the Beacon award-winning Aspire Training Team gain results that are higher than the national average and are in OFSTED’s top 10 in the country. To ensure Aspire provide both young people and employers with life changing employment opportunities and provide you with only the best teaching, learning and assessment available.
So what can we do for you?
The Levy Management team can assist your organisation benefit from getting the most from the Apprenticeship Levy. Consisting of educational and business development professionals, providing you with support and understanding of the Apprenticeship Levy. Working with you and your Apprenticeships every step of the way of your Apprenticeship Levy journey.
Understandably, one of the biggest challenges of developing a strategy for the Levy is getting buy-in with your senior manager and/or board. The Aspire team will tailor the right training requirements, together with you to ensure these needs, and your Apprenticeship Levy funds are fully utilised. Having completed and analysis of your business needs, you will be able to maximise your Levy spend to exactly where it is needed within the organisation.
Next Steps – Allocating your Apprenticeship Levy spend
Having established an understanding with you on what your business requires from an applicant, we then provide you with a free recruitment service where our specialist team advertise, screen and refer candidates to you for to interview. Finding the perfect Apprentices ensures your business has a productive and motivated workforce.
How to Recruit an Apprentice
Through our own online career portal, presenting potential Apprentices the opportunity to apply to work depending on the position being promoted. Every position available is presented and candidates can also register their interest in positions they would to apply for even of not currently available.
Following this, an initial interview process is carried out prior to being referred to you, ensuring all our applicants are of a high calibre and specific to your exact business needs.
Having found your perfect Apprentice (or Apprentices, subject to your Levy spend) through your own interview process, Aspire’s Levy team will meet with you again to finalise contracts. This final process also ensures your working environment meets with health and safety regulations. Once satisfied, the application is complete!
Throughout the duration of the Apprenticeship, your Apprentice will attend assessor visits to your workplace, ensuring that everything is running to meet both your and the Apprentices’ objectives.
The Levy Benefits existing staff too?
In addition to recruiting new staff, the Apprenticeship Levy also allows you to upskill your current work force with staff having the opportunity of a training programme to meet your business requirements. With the new Government Apprenticeship reform has resulted in anyone, regardless of age or previous qualification is now eligible to become an Apprentice as of April 2017.
By choosing to upskill your current workforce, the potential is there to not only improve your work force but also ensures your employees are able to progress throughout their career.
With many employers wanting the opportunity to progress their current employees with Management opportunities, Aspire Training Team can also provide your employees with the relevant management and leadership skills for your organisation.
With this Management pathway, successful individuals will gain an industry designed apprenticeship, qualification and registration with a professional body. As they say, the future’s bright!
