Business Update - Issue 70 (August 2021)
Updated 1 November 2021
Applies to England
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In this edition of Business Update, our round-up of business-critical news and information from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA):
- Cash boost to create new flexible approach to apprenticeships
- New Apprenticeship Service webinars from August 2021
- The Institute’s degree apprenticeship consultation
- Employer checklist – 7 steps to hiring an apprentice
- Updates to the apprenticeship service
- Incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice
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For more information about apprenticeships, you can visit apprenticeships.gov.uk or call 08000 150 600.
Cash boost to create new flexible approach to apprenticeships
Sectors including the creative, agriculture and construction industries can now bid for a share of a £7 million fund to support the creation of new flexible apprenticeships, unlocking more opportunities for people to develop the skills they need to get good jobs.
The fund will establish a small number of agencies that will set up new flexi-job apprenticeships so an apprentice can work across a range of projects and with different employers to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to be occupationally competent.
The fund will make £7 million available in England across 2021-22 and 2022-23. Organisations can apply for funding between £100,000 and £1 million to set up new flexi-job apprenticeship agencies. The £7 million flexi-job apprenticeship fund will be a competed grant process and applicants will also have to apply to join the register of flexi-job apprenticeship agencies.
It may also support existing good quality apprenticeship training agencies (ATAs) to diversify as flexi-job apprenticeship agencies.
Applicants must meet a robust set of criteria as well as being able to provide details of how they will meet the needs of their chosen sector or region and ensure apprentices and placement employers receive a high-quality apprenticeship experience.
For more information please visit the press release on GOV.UK.
New Apprenticeship Service webinars from August 2021
The Apprenticeship Service is holding several webinars from August aimed at employers, training providers, employer-providers, intermediaries, end-point assessment organisations and any other organisations/individuals with an interest in the apprenticeship service.
All webinars are hosted by subject matter experts to help you to understand more about the apprenticeship service and the apprenticeship programme.
Webinars will include:
- Intermediaries: A new service that supports levy transfers
- Employers that pay the apprenticeship levy: A new service that supports levy transfers
- Employers: A new service that supports levy transfers
- Employers: 2021/ 2022 Funding Rules
- Training providers/employer providers: What’s involved in an assurance review (audit) and how can you be prepared
- Training providers/employer providers: Understanding the individualised learner record (ILR) and data in the apprenticeship service
You can sign up now.
You can watch all apprenticeship service webinar recordings on our YouTube channel.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical degree apprenticeship consultation
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) has launched a consultation on degree apprenticeships. It sets out proposals to improve how degree apprenticeships are developed, approved, and work in practice for employers and apprentices.
The Institute are proposing five specific changes to the requirements of degree apprenticeships:
- better supporting graduate-entry occupations
- integration of on-the-job and off-the-job training
- alignment between apprenticeship knowledge, skills and behaviours and degree learning outcomes
- integration of assessment
- participation of an independent assessor with occupational expertise
To support the consultation, they are running a series of stakeholder events to provide an opportunity for people to ask questions about the proposals. You can sign up for these events on Eventbrite:
You can find out more and take part in the consultation on the Institute’s website. The consultation closes 16 September.
Employer checklist – 7 steps to hiring an apprentice
Get apprenticeship ready this results day
With A Level and GCSE results days taking place next week, many school and college leavers are starting to think about their career options.
If you’ve been considering making the most of the £3,000 incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice before 30 September, it’s the ideal time to take the next step.
We’ve created a checklist for employers who have a pay bill of less than £3 million each year. The guide outlines the steps you’ll need to take to employ an apprentice once you have found the right course and training provider to deliver your apprenticeship training.
View an accessible version of our checklist
Updates to the apprenticeship service
We’re making changes to ensure the apprenticeship service meets your needs.
Here’s a summary of the areas which we’re updating over the coming months – more details are outlined below:
- Finding a training provider – updates now live
- Transfers of levy funds to pay for apprenticeships – updates coming soon
- Onboarding apprentices – updates coming soon
Finding a training provider – updates now live
If there aren’t any providers offering the apprenticeship training you need, you can now fill out a simple online form to share your interest in a particular course with all providers.
Since the launch of this service many employers have registered their training needs and providers have been responding quickly.
To share your interest, search for a course using ‘Find apprenticeship training’, enter a town, city or postcode and select ‘View providers for this course’. If there are no results, look for ‘Can’t find a training provider?’ and select ‘Share your interest’.
Transfers of levy funds to pay for apprenticeships – updates coming soon
Employers who pay the apprenticeship levy (those with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million) will be able to pledge unspent levy funds (up to their 25% transfer allowance) to support apprenticeships in other businesses.
All businesses will be able to see these transfer opportunities on a gov.uk webpage and apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum).
Onboarding apprentices – updates coming soon
New apprentices added to your account will receive an email, asking them to create an account for the new ‘Confirm my apprenticeship details’ service, where they will be able to review and confirm the details of their apprenticeship. Apprentices will be able to refer back to these details during their apprenticeship and also access guidance on what is expected of them, their provider and you as their employer.
If apprentices do not confirm their details or access the guidance, this will not impact them starting their apprenticeship or funding being received by your provider. As part of onboarding your apprentices, you should encourage them to complete this task, as it will help to make their apprenticeship a quality experience.
You should now begin collecting a unique email address for each of your future apprentices, ready for the launch of this service.
Incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice
Employers will receive £3,000 for new apprentices of any age who join their organisation from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.
Eligibility
Employers with apprentices who have an employment start date between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021 and who also have a practical period (training) start date between 1 April 2021 and 30 November 2021 are eligible for the incentive payment.
How to apply
You can apply for the incentive payment through the ‘Finances’ section in your apprenticeship service account, under ‘Your hire a new apprentice payments’.
Watch our video which explains the process step by step.
You must apply for the incentive payment by the end of 30 November 2021. Training providers cannot apply on your behalf.
Support
The Business Support Helpline number in England is:
Freephone :0800 998 1098
The helpline provides free, impartial business support and signposting services to businesses in England – which currently includes business advice on COVID-19.
You can also find free support, advice and sources of finance through your local growth hub or speak to an advisor on webchat about support for your business.
DfE coronavirus helpline: 0800 046 8687