Business Update - Issue 52 (February 2020)
Updated 1 November 2021
Applies to England
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1. Frameworks withdrawal
Apprenticeship standards are replacing apprenticeship frameworks, as a core part of our work to improve the quality of apprenticeships.
Apprenticeship standards are designed directly by employers to ensure apprenticeships meet the needs of their sector. The combination of employers identifying the key knowledge, skills and behaviours required, and the move to a holistic end-point assessment gives employers much greater assurance that their employee is fully occupationally competent at the end of their apprenticeship.
There are 6 months to go until all remaining frameworks before they will no longer be available for your new apprenticeship starts.
After 31 July 2020, all new apprenticeship starts will be on standards. But you don’t need to wait that long! Over 500 standards are already available and now is a great opportunity for your business to plan ahead, and start offering these new, high quality apprenticeships.
West Sussex Council are already using apprenticeship standards and have found they “are providing our organisation with greater flexibility. We now have occupational training in a wider range of job roles and can easily able to tailor the training to suit our business needs. As a result, our apprenticeship programme is growing at pace.”
Standards represented 63 per cent of all starts reported in the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
If a learner starts on an apprenticeship framework before 31 July 2020, they will still be able to complete it.
You can see all the standards available for delivery and in development on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s website.
2. Update on EU Exit
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. Check the latest Transition Period information.
There will be no change to eligibility for apprenticeship funding in academic years 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 for citizens from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. They will need to ensure they have the right to live and work in the UK after 2020.
Employers should ensure that their employees, including apprentices, who are from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and living in the UK are aware that they and their family members will need to apply for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme in order to secure their rights. Many of your employees will have already applied to the EU Settlement Scheme or be in the process of doing so. But if they have not, they still have until 30 June 2021 to do so.
Irish citizens’ right to live in the UK has not changed. This means they do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, but they can if they want to. Any family members who are not Irish or British citizens will need to do so.
Detailed eligibility requirements are set out in the apprenticeship funding rules.
You’ll need to continue to check a job applicants’ right to work. This will not change.
UK nationals returning from living or studying in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will continue to be eligible to apply for an apprenticeship in England for a 7-year period. The 7-year period will begin on 1 January 2021.
3. Give us your views on apprenticeships
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (The Institute) has announced a new round of reviews that will start in the summer.
These route reviews will consider apprenticeships available to the Health and Science and Care Services sectors. They will consider how well employers are served by some of the oldest apprenticeship standards and whether they need to be updated. The Institute will also consider wider quality issues.
Email IFA.HEALTHANDSCIENCEREVIEW@education.gov.uk and IFA.CARESERVICESREVIEW@education.gov.uk to find out more.
We are also seeking further feedback, following the closure of the engineering and manufacturing route review, from the sector and arranging stakeholder meetings for those interested in taking part. To find out more email IFAREVIEW.ENGINEERINGANDMANUFACTURING@education.gov.uk.
4. T Levels website launch
On Monday 17 February a new section of the T Levels website aimed at employers was launched and will sit alongside the existing student website.
The website will contain information about industry placements and employers. There will be strong call to action to the website through targeted social media advertising which also launches on Monday. This helps to support our engagement with employers and to increase the number of quality industry placements.
5. A helping hand for apprentices
The NUS Apprentice extra card is one simple way and inexpensive way that apprentices can save money on the stuff they buy, thanks to the 250+ online and in-store discounts available.
Thousands of apprentices are already using it to save, on average, £13.50 per month on food, fashion, tech and travel. It is the only discount platform exclusively for apprentices in the UK. Take a look at the offers at www.apprenticeextra.co.uk from ASOS to Hotels.com and lots more.
The National Society of Apprentices (NSoA) works with more than 120 training providers and employers, representing over 150,000 apprentices across the UK. Sales of the NUS Apprentice extra fund the society: A society for apprentices, run by apprentices and paid for by apprentices.
If your apprentices are interested in making their money go further, please tell your apprentices about NUS Apprentice extra. Link is NUS Apprentice extra.
6. New Apprenticeship Service webinar
The Apprenticeship Service is holding a webinar for training providers in February.
Training providers will see a demonstration of the journey employers and providers take when they use the apprenticeship service. This webinar will help training providers to support smaller employers that do not pay the levy, to use the service. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in a live Q&A.
The sessions is for Training Providers: a step by step guide to support smaller employers using the apprenticeship service, on Thursday 27 February 2020, 12.00pm to 12.45pm. You can sign up now.
You can watch all Apprenticeship Service webinar recordings on YouTube.
Follow @ESFAdigital on Twitter.
7. End-point assessment organisations conference
ESFA and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (The Institute) are hosting a one-day event for organisations on the ESFA’s register of end-point assessment organisations on Friday 13 March 2020.
The day will be themed around embedding quality and value in end-point assessment.
This free event will provide end-point assessment organisations (EPAO) with an opportunity to learn about current and future end-point assessment policy from ESFA and the Institute. Delegates will hear from industry peers and employers, who will share their experiences and advice to support the successful delivery of end-point assessment (EPA).
The day will be a mixture of presentations and workshops, including:
- EPA policy updates from the ESFA and the Institute
- External Quality Assurance (EQA)
- best practice for working with EQA Providers
- working together for the sector and sharing for learner success
- working with apprenticeship standards
We have sent an invitation to each EPAO contact listed on the register of end-point assessment organisations, please follow the [Eventbrite link]9https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-conference-for-end-point-assessment-organisations-tickets-92739252601) in your email to reserve a place for your organisation.
8. Apprenticeship gateway and resits for end-point assessment
Please read our apprenticeship gateway and resits guidance for end-point assessment.
This guidance explains the apprenticeship gateway and resits process and the roles and responsibilities for:
- employers
- apprenticeship training providers (training providers)
- end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs)
- apprentices
9. 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.
10. Invitation to tender: delivery of the non-digital services supporting the ASK programme
The ITT for the above services is now advertised on Contracts Finder.
The procurement is being run using the DfE e-procurement portal (Jaggaer). You will have to register to access the documentation and this is the only means that bidders can use to submit bids.
Any questions relating to this ITT must be submitted through the Jaggaer system.