1. Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge for Schools Briefing for Governors
This presentation has been designed to support governing bodies to understand the important role that they play in advising on and promoting apprenticeships to the senior leadership team and more widely within the school community.
The government has committed to supporting 3 million new apprenticeships by The creation of so many job opportunities coupled with the introduction of new degree apprenticeships will mean that young people will have more options available to them than ever before.
It is vital that schools provide equal access to all students about the post-16 and post-18 landscape, including apprenticeships, so that they and their families can make informed decisions about their future and feel well-prepared for the next stage of their life.

2. This presentation covers:
This presentation will help to tackle some of the common misconceptions about apprenticeships and will cover the main themes of:
The range of apprenticeship job roles available
The different levels, including degree apprenticeships
The statutory duty of governing bodies in relation to careers information
What you as governors can do to assist with the school’s careers strategy
The apprenticeship levy
How you might consider apprenticeships as part of the school workforce planning and recruitment strategy

3. What are apprenticeships?
There is still a lot of confusion around apprenticeships, perhaps because they’ve been around for hundreds of years. However, apprenticeships have changed considerably over the last few decades and they are now being positioned as a really credible alternative to traditional full time university.
An apprenticeship is a real job with a real employer, and often a very good salary. For example, Royal Mail offers a starting salary of £21,000 for their Project Management apprenticeship programme and this year the Civil Service will recruit 500 higher apprentices into roles throughout England.
The employer will invest their time and money in helping their apprentices to gain qualifications and valuable new skills and experience. Apprentices are given real responsibilities, expected to work hard, and are given a contract of employment, holiday and sick pay - exactly the same as any other member of staff.
Whilst working for their employer, apprentices also work towards qualifications throughout their apprenticeship. They are supported by a training provider, who will help them achieve their qualifications and make sure they complete their apprenticeship.
An apprenticeship typically takes 1 to 4 years to complete, depending on the level and the subject being studied.
Contrary to popular belief, apprenticeships aren’t the ‘easy option’. Holding down a full time job and studying takes commitment and hard work, and it won’t be right for everyone.

4. You get paid and you have a career
National Minimum Wage £3.40 per hour
Average wage £170 per week
Wage depends on the employer – many pay more than Minimum Wage
Many people think that apprentices are low-paid, and this can be true, depending on the employer. Legally, an employer must pay an apprentice the National Minimum Wage for apprentices which is currently £3.40 per hour. This is lower than the normal National Minimum Wage, but it recognises that some people will be going into their first job with no experience at all. The good news is that lots of employers pay a lot more than the National Minimum Wage for apprentices.
The average wage for apprentices is £170 per week which is a great starting salary for someone just leaving school. It is not unusual to see apprenticeship schemes in big organisations have a starting salary of £18-20k.
Another common myth is that once an apprentice has completed their apprenticeship, the employer will let them go. This isn’t true. The majority of apprentices (around 90%) stay in employment. If they do change companies, it’s usually because they’re able to compete for a better job, perhaps with more pay or more responsibility.
Many employers report that if they have invested in the development of that individual, paying their salary and teaching them about the organisation, the last thing they want to do is let them go.

5. Some of the possibilities
When we talk about apprenticeships, people often assume we’re referring to traditional apprenticeships like construction and engineering. There are many brilliant apprenticeships in these areas, but there are also hundreds of new apprenticeships in exciting areas that you might not know exist.
This slide gives you an idea of the huge range of apprenticeships available. Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of industry sectors with employers from large national companies such as the BBC, Barclays Bank, IBM, Airbus, ASOS, ITV and Royal Mail to smaller, local companies.
There are many occupations where previously, the only career route was considered to be through full time, traditional university study, such as nursing and becoming a solicitor. But increasingly these types of career opportunities are available through apprenticeships and the individual apprentice will not incur any tuition fees, the government and employer will cover all training costs.

6. Apprenticeships in Education
 Teaching Assistant
 Early Years Educator
 School Business Director
Academic Professional
Administration
Finance
Additionally, you may be interested to know that there are a number of apprenticeships available in development within education including:
Teaching Assistant
Early Years Educator
School Business Director
Academic Professional
As well as many wider business support roles including administration, finance, maintenance, IT and many more…
Later in this presentation we will explain the apprenticeship levy and why recruiting apprentices to work in your school could be a really innovative and smart way to maximise government funding.

7. Levels of apprenticeship
We now have three levels of apprenticeship: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher.
Intermediate is Level 2, which is equivalent to GCSE
Advanced is Level 3, which is equivalent to A level
Higher apprenticeships cover levels 4 through to 7
Level 4 is equivalent to a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or the first year of a degree
Level 5 – 6 is equivalent to a full degree
Level 7 is equivalent to a masters degree
An individual can now start an apprenticeship, at any level appropriate to the job that they are doing, and work all the way up to achieving a masters degree. ,
Which level of apprenticeship an individual starts at will depend on the kind of job that they are applying for. It’s really important that students understand that they shouldn’t be held back by only looking for a particular level e.g. degree apprenticeships, because it may be that they need to start at the advanced or higher level and work their way up.

8. Higher and Degree apprenticeships
Now its possible to get a degree without going to uni…
Higher and degree apprenticeships are a real alternative to following the traditional route of going to University as a full time student.
They offer all the benefits of higher education with none of the cost, because tuition fees are paid for by the employer and the Government so apprentices will not be expected to pay £9000 a year. Additionally the apprentice will be earning a salary from day one so they are actually getting paid to study.
Universities offer their degree apprentices exactly the same student experience as other students, so apprentices are still able to access the student union, sports facilities, student discounts etc.
In the past, going to university was seen as the best way to advance your career to a higher level. But with the current level of competition for jobs amongst graduates, it might not be the best route for many young people. With an apprenticeship, students get the competitive advantage of gaining at least 3 years’ work experience whilst completing their degree.
This could also be a fantastic opportunity for individuals who already hold a degree too. For example, you could have members of staff who have taken on management responsibility and may be interested in achieving a Degree and their Chartered Management accreditation through the Degree Apprenticeship route.

9. There’s never been a better time…
The world of work and career opportunities just got a whole lot more exciting …really!
No matter what kind of career path a young person wants to follow, they need to do their research and find out if there’s a way to get to the role they want through an apprenticeship. That way, they can decide if they would prefer to study full time at college or university, or if they would prefer to go into work as an apprentice and gain qualifications and experience on the job from day one.
Until recently, school leavers had a straight decision to make: stay on, go to Uni, or take your chances in the job market. All of that has now changed.
With more and more new apprenticeships being introduced, especially higher and degree apprenticeships, there really is something for everyone.

10. What is a traineeship? Made up of three parts: 6 weeks – 6 months
Employability skills
English and Maths support
High quality work experience
6 weeks – 6 months
For those students who are not even sure yet whether an apprenticeship is right for them, they may want to think about doing a traineeship first. They’re ideal for students who’ve been applying for apprenticeships, but perhaps haven’t been making it through to interview, or those who need to develop their confidence or experience to help them compete in the recruitment process.
A traineeship includes three parts:
Employability skills
English and Maths support, if needed
A high quality work experience placement
Traineeships last for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months, with the content tailored to an individual’s career needs. The length of the programme will depend on the young person and their experience, as well as the training provider they’re studying with.
Trainees are able to develop their skills and confidence in a real workplace, whilst being supported by a training provider (either a college or an independent provider).

11. Careers guidance in schools
Department for Education statutory guidance (March 2015)
Duty to secure independent careers guidance for Years 8-13
Help pupils develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers
Strategy for careers guidance and strong leadership
Government 2020 vision
3 million apprenticeships
Annually from January 2018: include apprenticeship results in performance tables
Careers guidance must include apprenticeship and traineeship programmes
Statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education in March 2015 states that schools have a duty to secure independent careers guidance for all year 8 to 13 pupils, intended to inspire and motivate young people to fulfil their potential.
Schools should help every pupil develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers.
They should have a strategy for careers guidance, as well as strong leadership to enable them to raise the aspirations of all pupils, encouraging them to overcome barriers to success.
As you probably know, the government aims to achieve 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020.
DfE data at Key Stage 5 shows the percentage of students from state funded mainstream schools and colleges progressing onto an apprenticeship was only 5%. In response, the Government has added a clear action in its 2020 vision for apprenticeships that “annually from January 2018, Government will include apprenticeship results in schools’ performance tables.”
Schools’ careers guidance must therefore provide pupils with the full range of education and training options post-16, including apprenticeship and traineeship programmes.

12. The role of the governing body
DfE guidance - governing body must:
Ensure all pupils provided with independent careers guidance from year 8 to year 13
Ensure independent careers guidance
is presented in impartial manner
includes information on range of education/training options including apprenticeships
will promote best interests of pupils
As a governing body, you play a vital role in shaping the careers guidance and support offered by the school.
The Department for Education guidance states that the governing body must:
‘ensure that all registered pupils at the school are provided with independent careers guidance from year 8 (12-13 year olds) to year 13 (17-18 year olds)’ and
‘ensure that the independent careers guidance provided:
is presented in an impartial manner;
includes information on the range of education or training options, including apprenticeships and other vocational pathways;
is guidance that the person giving it considers will promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given’

13. The role of the governing body
Support schools’ careers strategy:
Clear advice, appropriately resourced, meets legal requirements
Informed by requirements and key principles for good careers guidance
Key principles:
Provide access to range of activities
Build strong links with employers
Offer high quality work experience
Widen access to advice on post-16 options including apprenticeships
Provide face-to-face advice and guidance
As members of the governing body, the government requires you to support the school’s careers strategy by providing clear advice to the head teacher on which he/she can base a strategy for advice and guidance, which is appropriately resourced and meets the school’s legal requirements. The governing body’s advice should be informed by the requirements and the key principles for good careers guidance.
Indeed, governors are often selected for their expertise and experience in a wide range of jobs and professions- this knowledge could really support the teaching team and students in your school. Some of these key principles are to:
Provide access to a range of activities that inspire young people including employer talks, careers fairs, coaching and mentoring.
Build strong links with employers.
Offer high quality work experience.
Widen access to advice on post-16 options including apprenticeships and entrepreneurialism alongside the more traditional A levels and university route.
And provide face-to-face advice and guidance to build confidence and motivation.

14. + The apprenticeship levy
Levy calculation (£3m+) = 0.5% x annual pay bill +
You will need to pay the apprenticeship levy if you are an employer, in any sector, with a pay bill of more than £3 million each year.
The pay bill includes wages, bonuses, commissions, pension contributions and anything else classed as profit coming from employment
The levy will not be charged on other payments such as benefits in kind.
You will only pay the levy if your pay bill exceeds £3m in a given year
The levy will be charged at a rate of 0.5% of your entire annual pay bill.
You will have a levy allowance of £15,000 per year to offset against the levy you must pay.
This means the levy is only payable on pay bills over £3m (because 0.5% x £3m = £15,000)
The levy allowance will be calculated and paid monthly and will accumulate throughout the year.
There will also be a credit system for unused allowance that relates to a previous tax year in order to reduce the levy.
There will also be an additional 10% top up from the government which will be applied monthly.
Remember, if your payroll is handled by a local authority and the total paybill is in excess of £3m, your school will be paying the apprenticeship levy.
If you are not a levied employer, it is still worth looking at apprenticeships as part of your school workforce strategy as apprenticeships will be funded on a £9:£1 ratio meaning that in order for a member of staff to undertake a degree apprenticeship, the government would pay for 9/10ths of the cost.

15. A worked example… Free calculator on gov.uk
An employer with an annual pay bill of £5,000,000 Levy sum is 0.5% x £5,000,000 = £25,000 Subtract the levy allowance = £25,000 - £15,000 = £10,000 Annual levy payment = £10, % top-up in year one £10,000 + £1,000 = £11,000 to spend
Let’s look at a real example…
Use this tool to estimate if your organisation will pay the apprenticeship levy, how much your organisation will have available to spend on apprenticeships and how much the government will contribute towards the cost of training.
You’ll need to know your organisation’s annual UK payroll.
Free calculator on gov.uk

16. What next?
Agree and develop a robust and exciting apprenticeship awareness programme for your school community
Research and calculate your apprenticeship levy costs
Consider how apprenticeships could support future recruitment and retention needs for the school
As a governing body you have three main areas for consideration:
Agree how are you going to position apprenticeships for students within your school and support your colleagues to establish a really robust and exciting programme of apprenticeship awareness for all students, parents and teachers.
Research your position with regards to the apprenticeship levy and calculate if you will be paying (or not). Look into the opportunities to access the £9 for £1 funding if you are not a levied employer as this is still a fantastic way to access funding for the support and development of your staff.
Look at roles within your school and whether apprenticeships could support your future recruitment and retention needs either through up-skilling existing staff or recruiting new staff
For assistance with any of these issues, please contact and we will put you in touch with the appropriate body to help you.