Guidance

Prepare for Brexit if you provide further education and training or employ apprentices

Updated 25 October 2019

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page is out of date.

FE training providers should continue to follow the current guidance on eligibility for funding for 16 to 19 year olds, adult education and Advanced Learner Loans.

Apprenticeship training providers and employers should continue to follow the current eligibility requirements for employing and training an apprentice.

For current information, read:

You can also read about the transition period.

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-further-education-and-apprenticeship-providers/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-fe-and-apprenticeship-providers

Help staff, students and apprentices with the EU Settlement Scheme

Let staff, students or apprentices (or parents and carers of students and apprentices if appropriate) who are from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland know that they’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 2020. Deal or no deal, they will have until at least 31 December 2020 to apply.

There are resources available to help you support people with their applications.

Anyone who’s applied to the EU Settlement Scheme can view and prove their settled or pre-settled status, although they will not be required to do so until at least January 2021.

Irish citizens’ right to live in the UK will not change after Brexit. This means they do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, but they can if they want to.

Temporary leave to remain

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, let staff, students or apprentices (or parents and carers of students and apprentices if appropriate) know that they can apply for European temporary leave to remain if they:

  • are from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and
  • arrive in the UK after a no-deal Brexit and before 1 January 2021

They’ll need to apply by 31 December 2020.

Employing staff or apprentices from the EU

You must continue to check job applicants’ right to work. This will not change after Brexit.

You can also check whether someone has settled or pre-settled status but you are not required to do this until 1 January 2021.

Checking for sanctions or restrictions on staff from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

If there’s a deal, colleges should continue to use the existing system to check for sanctions on staff imposed by the EEA (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). This procedure will not change until 31 December 2020.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, professional regulators in the EEA (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) will no longer share with the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) information about sanctions imposed on staff.

Colleges must continue to carry out the same safer recruitment checks on all applicants, including those who have lived or worked outside of the UK.

For applicants that have lived or worked outside of the UK, colleges must also make any further checks they think appropriate so they can consider any relevant events that occurred outside the UK.

For applicants to teaching positions, additional checks may include information about their past conduct, for example, documents issued by the relevant teaching regulator abroad.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, we’ll update Keeping children safe in education.

Eligibility for places and funding

Adults aged 19 and over

Eligibility to apply for apprenticeships, get funding for further education or access Advanced Learner Loans in England will not change in the academic year 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 for:

  • citizens from the the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme
  • Irish citizens

They will need to meet the relevant eligibility requirements set out in:

There’s more information about becoming an apprentice.

16 to 19 year olds

Eligibility for funding will not change after Brexit.

UK nationals returning from living or studying in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

Returning UK nationals will be eligible for further 19+ education and to apply for apprenticeships for a 7-year period. The 7-year period will begin:

  • immediately after a no-deal Brexit
  • at the end of the implementation period if there’s a deal

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Further education and apprenticeships are devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You should direct students to their appropriate funding body for more information.

Contact your food suppliers before Brexit

Contact your food suppliers to make sure they:

  • are planning for the potential impacts of a no-deal Brexit
  • have checked whether their secondary suppliers are prepared
  • will be able to manage allergens and meet nutritional standards and dietary needs
  • are planning to adapt menus if necessary

Avoiding allergens if you change meals or ingredients

Check that you are:

  • following the allergen guidance for institutional caterers.

  • using the Food Standard Agency’s allergens template to help identify allergens if you adapt your menus

  • reading labels and product information for any new foods you use

  • aware of any students who have allergies and can identify them

  • still meeting nutritional standards and special dietary requirements

Review how you collect, use and share personal data

Check and update your data protection procedures so you can still receive and share personal data after Brexit.

EU funded projects

European Social Fund (ESF)

All ESF programmes will be fully funded until July 2021. They’ll be funded by:

  • the EU if there’s a deal
  • the government guarantee if there’s a no-deal Brexit

There’s guidance for organisations who get European Social Fund grants.

Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects

Continue delivering any Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects that are already contracted.

You might not get EU funding if there’s a no-deal Brexit. Register for the government guarantee if you’ve had an Erasmus+ bid accepted.

Erasmus+ placements will continue to 2020 if there’s a deal.

Planning trips to the EU

If you’re arranging trips to the EU you’ll need to check:

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