New Year New Funding New Year New ways of working New Plans New Strategy

Many Training Organisations have not asked the question am I ready to make Money? Why? They are busy getting on the Register. They are reading lots of Guidance, but do they have the right team in place? Do the Team know what is going on, do they have the skills? To negotiate the price with an employer on the new standards? Do the delivery team understand fully the changes.

Lets look at some things With the government’s drive for growth in Apprenticeships and with the support that businesses will get from the forthcoming Apprenticeship Levy. Apprenticeships are becoming even more central to skills and succession planning for all businesses.

1. Review your existing Learning & Development programmes Take a look at your current training offer. Do you need to update your website. Can any of your courses be enhanced or replaced by an existing (or new) Apprenticeship programme, bearing in mind that the breadth of available frameworks and standards is very wide (and growing week on week). Apprenticeships are now available from Level 2 (GCSE), through to Level 7 (Masters Degree), so you can plan for new entrants and existing managers’ CPD, good to get a OTNA tool.

2. Look at and assess the cost implications Look how to sell for business if in-scope for the Levy or not, the chances are there will be a cost attached to Apprenticeship development. Using the Governments’ Levy “ready-reckoner”, work out the potential financial impact of your company or so you know how to do this with other companies. Map this against your existing training budget. You may be pleasantly surprised! You may Not!

3. Look at your existing team Assess your current workforce. If you’re liable to gain funds £15,000.00, can you afford new starters, or will you need to use the Levy for upskilling existing staff? Skills development needs should have been identified at each employees’ most recent appraisal. Ask the question, is the CPD required for a person covered by an Apprenticeship framework or standard? Also, look at the team dynamic – do you have the right people in place to guide and mentor an apprentice through their programme? Remember, the impact on time and resource is amplified, the smaller the organisation – hence the Gov’t incentives and support offered to SMEs. Do they have the knowledge for New Standards. Do you have effective Employer Engagement team and do you need to start re - training them.

4. Integrate apprentice recruitment into your overall HR/recruitment strategy When dealing with Employers, review job descriptions, can these roles be covered/replaced by Apprenticeships? New starters will need training anyway, so is an apprentice a viable alternative? Get Traineeship as a form of extended recruitment process, as work experience is the core element of such a programme. Apprentices can add real value and energy to an organisation. If you put in as much effort into the recruitment of an apprentice as you do for a middle manager or experienced technician, you will reap the rewards! You need to ensure you find the right person – not just a "cheap option" contracted for the duration of their programme: but one that will become a long-term valuable member of a company make sure your team know how to do this. Remember the employer can stop the money if not pleased. Look at selling added value your values and culture? Show how you will do this to individual company’s needs? Think about what your added value is? How you will show an Added Value ? Remember Negotiation on price will play a part, who will do this in your company with the employers are they an effective communicator?

Up your profile to the training world. Look at your marketing. 5. Chose the right end-point assessment organisation to get the employer to work with Make sure you know who to use and indeed make them aware you would like to know who to contact and how their system works get them to know you. Up your profile to the training world. Look at your marketing.

Opportunity When the Levy comes into force it will affect all businesses, public and private, regardless of size. However, with a 0.5% Levy and the Government’s £15,000 allowance, only those with annual wage bills over £3 million will be required to contribute into the “pot”. SMEs will not be required to contribute (as long as their apprentice is under 19 when they start), but can still make use of a publicly subsidised apprenticeship programme. For apprentices over 19, SME Employers are required to pay a 10% contribution towards the costs of training and assessment – significantly down from the current expectation of 50%. Clearly, this presents a great opportunity to invest in getting your team ready to deliver.