Business Update - Issue 51 (January 2020)
Updated 1 November 2021
Applies to England
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To access support, search for apprenticeships on GOV.UK or call 08000 150 600. To find out more about how employers are using apprenticeships to benefit their business, visit our Hire an Apprentice page on You Tube.
1. National apprenticeship week 2020
National Apprenticeship Week 2020 takes place in February, with the Week now extended from 3 to 9 February 2020, giving greater opportunity for the apprenticeships community to get involved, including the weekend.
The theme of the Week is ‘Look Beyond’ and supports the aims of the Fire It Up campaign in reaching out to and showcasing diversity in apprenticeships.
A series of toolkits are now available – with unique toolkits for employers, apprentices, teachers and parents. Please download the employer toolkit and encourage your apprentices to get behind the Week and to download the apprentice toolkit.
The National Apprenticeship Week 2020 events map is also live and we hope to see a variety of events taking place over the course of the Week. Please share your events on the events map here.
Toolkits for National Apprenticeship Week 2020 can be found on GOV.UK.
2. Update on apprenticeship levy transfers
From 2 January 2020, we have extended the use of levy transfers to cover the full cost of training for those apprenticeships that would normally be eligible for full government funding.
This extension applies to 16-18 year olds and eligible 19-24 year olds, and where the receiving employer has fewer than 50 employees.
We have taken on board feedback from both employers and providers who had advised us that this restriction had been a barrier for those levy paying employers who wanted to support smaller employers in providing apprenticeship opportunities for younger people.
The apprenticeship funding rules have been updated to reflect this.
3. New apprenticeship service webinars from January to March 2020
We are holding several webinars from January to March aimed at employers, training providers, and any organisations/ individuals with an interest in the apprenticeship service.
All webinars are hosted by subject matter experts to help service users to understand more about the apprenticeship service.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask experts questions in a live Q&A and take part in interactive polls.
Topics include:
- apprenticeship eligibility
- apprenticeship funding rules
- moving from apprenticeships frameworks to apprenticeships standards
- off-the-job apprenticeship training
- transitioning smaller employers onto the apprenticeship service
You can sign up now.
You can watch all apprenticeship service webinar recordings on YouTube.
You can follow @ESFAdigital on Twitter.
4. Information: apprenticeship service for small and medium employers is now open
Smaller employers, who do not pay the apprenticeship levy, now have full access to the apprenticeship service.
The service is now open for those employers who feel ready to use the service giving greater control over choosing their apprenticeship, as well as their training provider and enabling access to funding and the range of other benefits the service offers. This follows our announcement in October 2019 that we would be embarking on a managed transition to allow smaller employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy to access the benefits of the service.
Registration to use the service is now open.
We want employers and training providers to have time to prepare and take full advantage of the move onto the service, at the same time ensuring stability in the marketplace. So, from now until March the transition period will start with an initial ‘test phase’. We will seek feedback from smaller employers who register and recruit through the service and from providers working with those employers and we will monitor how the system is working, keeping under review how the reservation policy is working.
We also announced that to support transition additional funding would be made available for up to 5,000 new starts through the service, per month, between January and March 2020. If selected by a smaller employer access to the additional funding is open to all main providers that remain listed on the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP), not just those with an existing procured non-levy contract.
As we enable smaller employers to use the apprenticeship service, we are introducing the ability for them to reserve funds for training. We have published updated versions of the funding rules and a new reservations policy statement.
This will allow us to forecast, monitor and manage apprenticeships funding within the overall budget for apprenticeships. To manage a gradual transition from contracted training provision to employers arranging their own apprenticeships through the apprenticeship service, employers will initially be able to reserve funding for up to three apprenticeships. Employers will still be able to access training via existing procured non-levy contracts, and we will extend these contracts beyond March 2020 to help facilitate a managed transition during the year. as we bring all smaller employers onto the apprenticeship service.
We have written to all existing providers about how the changes will affect contracting arrangements. This includes details of change to provider and employer agreements.
Following the series of webinars we held in November, we are running more webinars throughout January to provide more detail on the planned arrangements and address the questions submitted at the end of the last series. You can register to join online.
5. New for 2020: effective practice materials for embedding English and maths in apprenticeships
A new package of learning materials is now available for providers and employers to support embedding of English and maths in workplace learning for apprentices.
These materials have been developed by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE). The materials comprise four online learning modules and an associated series of four interactive webinar sessions, available free of charge until 31 March 2020.
English and maths are essential to supporting longer-term career prospects. As part of our ambition for a world-class technical education system and in line with recommendations from independent experts, progression towards and attainment of approved level 2 English and maths qualifications is an important part of the apprenticeship programme.
For further information visit the ETF booking website. If the webinar that you wish to attend is fully booked, please add your details to the waiting list to register your interest as the ETF will look at providing additional sessions depending on demand.
6. Extended our two live route review consultations
Last year the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education announced a series of reviews into apprenticeships across four key employment sectors.
As the final public consultation deadline for these ‘route reviews’ approaches in a couple of weeks, we will provide an update with what has happened since they opened.
The consultation in support of the Engineering and Manufacturing has been extended by four weeks until 5 February. This means there is still time for interested parties to have their say.
If you know any stakeholders who are interested or have a view yourself, you can take part by visiting the Institute’s website.
The consultations for the agriculture, environmental and animal care and hair beauty reviews have now closed. The Institute is analysing the feedback which will help inform our decisions.
In February, the Institute will be holding regional workshops to gather more feedback for these two reviews.
An announcement will be made soon on the next set of route reviews for 2020. For further information please visit the Institute website.
7. Stakeholder Update
If you want to know more specifically about marketing, communications and learner engagement, please sign up to our monthly Stakeholder Update.
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