1. Apprenticeship update
Alex Jacobs – Employment and Skills Team, Hackney Council
Tatiana Pavlovsky – Organisational Development Business Partner (HLT)

2. Summary: What is the apprenticeship levy?
Setting up your digital account
Using your digital funds
The LBH Apprenticeship programme
Creating an Apprenticeship
Qualifications
Useful contacts

3. What is the Apprenticeship Levy?
Employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million pay 0.5% of their total pay bill (NI-able gross pay) towards the apprenticeship levy.
Why?
Large employers to contribute to apprenticeship funding, and is part of a wider series of reforms to the apprenticeship system
When?
Starting in May 2017
Who?
All ‘Community schools’
Voluntary-aided schools, foundation schools, free schools and academies with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million.
How?
Levy contributions paid monthly through PAYE by your payroll provider

4. Setting Up Your Digital Account
Step 1: Create your government gateway account
Step 2: Set up your digital apprenticeship account here:

5. Using Your Digital Funds
Funds will enter your digital account monthly, based on your school’s levy contributions, plus a 10% top-up from government.
Funds can only be used to pay approved training providers to deliver approved apprenticeship qualifications, either for new apprentices, or for existing staff.
You must agree a price with your training provider, up to a funding cap set by the government for every qualification.
If you have insufficient funds in your digital account to pay for your apprenticeship training, the government will ‘co-invest’ 90% of the additional cost.
Funds expire monthly after 24 months

6. LBH Apprenticeship Programme
Currently 50 apprentices employed across Hackney Council.
Mayor’s commitment to employ 75 apprentices during 17/18, and 100 during 18/19
All apprentices are paid London Living Wage (£9.75 per hour)
Apprenticeships are in areas including Business & Administration, Customer Services, Youth Work, IT, Housing, Trades and Environmental Services.
Apprenticeships are ring-fenced for year olds who live and/or have studied in Hackney.

7. Creating an Apprenticeship
Hackney Learning Trust can guide you in appointing an apprentice. Many training providers assist with recruitment, and creating a job description.
Good practice:
JOB DESCRIPTION: This should be written without jargon, and should not ask for prior experience.
INTERVIEW: You should be looking for potential/aptitude, not prior experience. An assessment is a good idea.
SALARY: Good quality apprenticeships pay at least £7 per hour. The apprenticeship minimum wage is £3.50 per hour, but paying this amount is likely to impact the quality of applicant you attract, and the likelihood of them staying with you.
TRAINING PROVIDER: When choosing a training provider, you should be looking at their track record in delivering your chosen qualification, their achievement rates, their Ofsted rating. You also need to ensure that they are on the newly formed register of apprenticeship providers:

8. Qualifications
When you set up an apprenticeship, you need to select a suitable qualification. This needs to be an approved apprenticeship ‘framework’ or ‘standard’. HLT, or your training provider, can help you identify a suitable framework or standard.
Remember: you can use your digital account to pay for apprenticeship training for both new apprentices and existing staff.
Qualification
Level
Length
Suitability
Business and Administration
2-4
12-24 months
New apprentices/junior staff
Property Maintenance 2
12-18 months
Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools
2-3
Early Years Educator (in development) 3
Team Leader/Supervisor 4
18-24 months
Junior Managers
Operations/Departmental Manager 5
30 months
Senior Managers

9. Contacts: Links: Tatiana Pavlovsky
Alex Jacobs
Links:
Government guidance on levy
levy-how-it-will-work/apprenticeship-levy-how-it-will-work
Register of approved providers

10. Thank You!