Business Update - Issue 53 (March 2020)
Updated 1 November 2021
Applies to England
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1. All apprenticeship starts through the apprenticeship service from 1 November 2020
In January we announced that we were giving smaller employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy full access to the apprenticeship service. This allowed employers to reserve funds for apprenticeships starting in January, February and March 2020 (to a maximum of three reservations per employer).
It is our intention that all new apprenticeship starts for all employers will be managed through the apprenticeship service from 1 November 2020. Until 31 October 2020 smaller employers will continue to be able to access apprenticeships through the apprenticeship service or through existing procured contracts held by training providers (as well as through transferred funds from employers who pay the apprenticeship levy).
2. Apprenticeship service new employer legal agreement
In conjunction with our January announcement that we were giving smaller employers, who do not pay the apprenticeship levy, full access to the apprenticeship service, we published a new employer legal agreement.
If you are an employer registered with the apprenticeship service, that accepted a previous version of the agreement, and have not yet accepted the new agreement, you will soon need to do so. Accepting the new agreement will allow employers to access funding for new apprenticeship starts, as well as ensuring continued access to full functionality in the apprenticeship service.
If your organisation needs to sign the new agreement, it will be made available to you through the apprenticeship service from 14 April 2020, we will also be issuing a termination notice to your existing agreement from 9 March 2020.
We are asking all employers to accept the new agreement ensuring that employers accessing funding via the apprenticeship service will be doing so under the same standard terms and conditions.
Employers that want to read the new agreement before it is sent to them on 14 April can read it on GOV.UK where it has been published for information.
Employers will be able to accept the new legal agreement in the Organisation and Agreements section of their account, only an Account Owner who has authority to do so on behalf of their organisation, should accept the agreement.
Existing users (employers) who do not accept the new agreement will still be able to view any current apprenticeships registered on the apprenticeship service, and funding will still flow from their levy account to pay for training. However, they will be unable to make changes, advertise vacancies or record new starts until they accept the new agreement (the current agreement will continue to cover existing approved apprentices until either the apprenticeship finishes, or the new agreement is accepted).
It is important to note that the employer legal agreement forms part of our standard terms and conditions for accessing apprenticeships via the apprenticeship service – whilst we welcome feedback for future iterations, the agreement cannot be amended for individual employers. If you have any questions related to accepting the legal agreement, please seek independent legal advice.
For further information visit GOV.UK.
3. Employer support for T Levels
On Monday 17 February a new section of the T Levels website aimed at employers was launched and will sits alongside the existing student website. The website contains information about T Levels and industry placements for employers.
We’ve promoted the website in targeted social media advertising which launched on the same day through LinkedIn and Twitter channels. This helps to support our engagement with employers and to increase the number of quality industry placements.
A new T Levels Employer Support Package went live on Friday 28 February. This package of support has been developed to support employers across the country to understand and prepare to offer high-quality industry placements.
4. Public Sector Apprenticeship Target - get ready to submit your reports
Are you a public sector body with over 250 staff? Then you are likely to be in scope of the Public Sector Target.
Reporting opens from 1 April 2020 for the 2019-20 reporting year and it’s a legal requirement to submit your returns by 30 September 2020. It is important for prescribed groups and in-scope bodies to demonstrate that they have actively considered apprenticeships, either for new recruits or as part of career development for existing staff.
Public Sector bodies in scope of the target should appropriately demonstrate in their returns that they have had regard to the target to employ an average of at least 2.3% of their staff as new apprentice starts annually over the period of 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2021.
Find out more about whether you are in scope and how to submit your returns at: Meeting the Public Sector Apprenticeship Target.