Employer FAQs

How long does an apprenticeship last?

Approximately 12 months to 18 months.

What is the normal apprenticeship working week?

Apprentices work a minimum of 30 hours a week. However, if you have someone that works less hours than this but wants to complete an apprenticeship this is possible depending on the individual circumstances, we can discuss this with you to see what can be done, which will include increasing the total length of the course.

The average is usually 37-40 hours a week, so it fits in with the industry they work in. Please note, this does not include night work.

How much does it cost to have an apprentice?

An apprentice needs to earn a wage of £4.30 per hour.

What responsibility do I have for an apprentice?

Apprentices are treated like any employee and they have to adhere to your policies and procedures. As the employer, you must give your apprentices an induction into their role and provide on-the-job training. You are also responsible for paying the apprentices’ wages. An apprentice needs to have a manager at work that is responsible for helping them throughout their training.

Who interviews them?

The training provider will assess the learners’ suitability to a vacancy prior to sending them over to the employer. The employer will then interview learners following their normal recruitment procedures.

Where does the training take place?

Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes; most of the training is ‘on the job’ – at your premises. Aspire will offer training too to the apprentice so they receive a good, solid base on which to grow.

Does the apprenticeship involve day release?

No, we provide our own bespoke, tailor-made training programmes to meet the needs of the employer and the young person so all training can be undertaken at the workplace.

Are there different levels of apprenticeships?

Yes, both Level 2 and Level 3 are available and they will depend on age of the apprentice and the skills already gained.

What happens if I am not happy with my apprentice?

You would deal with it like you would any of your other employees. Have an informal chat with them to begin with, this usually resolves the vast majority of problems.

Do I have to treat an apprentice differently to my other staff?

Obviously an apprentice is not going to work at the same speed as an experienced staff member or have the same amount of knowledge, however they should follow instructions given to them as you would with the rest of your staff.

Do I have to give my apprentice extra breaks compared to what my current staff members get?

They get the same breaks as your other members of staff, minimum of 30 minutes if they are working over 6 hours.

Do they get holiday pay?

Yes apprentices will get a holiday entitlement that they are allowed to take.

Can I pay higher than the apprenticeship wage?

Yes of course you can, the minimum apprentice wage is only there to protect the apprentice to make sure they earn a reasonable wage, many employers like to reward their apprentice by paying higher.

Do I have to be there when the assessor comes out?

No, we like you to be there to meet the assessor during the sign up process and after that it is the learner that the assessor needs to see, some employers do like to be present when the assessor comes out to support the apprentice and to discuss any issues.

How can I support my apprentice?

Apprentices can be supported by their employer in many different ways, for example regular feedback, constructive feedback, buddying them up with more experienced members of staff are all popular ways of providing support to your apprentice. Supporting the 20% off the job training will also benefit your apprentice and ensure that it counts towards a quality apprenticeship.

Do I as the employer have access to the online system to see my apprentices work?

Yes, an employer log in can be provided to the employer.

What experience do your assessors have?

All of our assessors are fully qualified, experience differs between assessors but many of our assessors have been with Aspire for many years.

What if I am not happy with my apprentice’s assessor?

This is incredibly rare, if an instance does occur it is always worth having a chat with the assessor and explaining why you are not happy. If this doesn’t resolve the problem we are able to change your assessor in extreme situations.

How long are the Serco Funded courses?

Up to 10 weeks although you can finish them quicker if you wish.

How many Serco Funded courses can my team do?

Your team members will only be able to do 1 at a time, on completion there might be an opportunity to choose a second course should if they wish.

Who are these Serco courses funded by?

They are funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)

Will my team receive a certificate for completing theirt Serco course?

Yes they will.

Will my team need to go anywhere to complete their Serco course or is everything done online?

The good thing with these courses is that everything is done online so your team members will not need to go anywhere.