Guidance

Apprenticeships for the school workforce

A guide for schools about the benefits of apprenticeships for their workforce, and how the apprenticeship levy and public sector target apply to schools.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This guidance is for school leaders, governing bodies, local authorities and academy trusts.

It explains:

  • what apprenticeships are
  • how schools can benefit from apprenticeships for their workforce
  • how the apprenticeship levy applies to schools
  • how the public sector apprenticeship target applies to schools
  • how schools can access apprenticeship funding if they don’t pay the apprenticeship levy
  • how schools can access apprenticeship funding if they are part of a larger employer group, such as a local authority or multi-academy trust

From 1 April 2021, all apprenticeships starting in England must be managed through an apprenticeship service account. This applies to all employers, whether they pay the apprenticeship levy or not.

Employers who pay the apprenticeship levy will have an annual pay bill over £3 million.

Updates to this page

Published 29 June 2018
Last updated 13 July 2021 + show all updates
  1. Updated section 4.2 of the guidance with a link to the Local Government Association toolkit 'Apprenticeships in schools'.

  2. Updated the guide throughout and changed it from a PDF to a more accessible HTML document. Updates include adding information about new apprenticeship incentive payments.

  3. Updated guidance to reflect changes to apprenticeship funding rates and sub-contracting rules.

  4. First published.

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