1. Apprenticeships: Nurturing Talent
Accessing the Apprenticeship Levy
How it will work in practice
I’d like to welcome you to this Apprenticeship Levy Roadshow.
The Levy represents the biggest single shake-up in vocational and professional training in the last 25 years. It represents a real opportunity for the University to nurture internal talent and develop expertise of new and existing staff. Organisations must begin to prepare for these changes now or risk losing out. With fundamental shifts to the funding model and broadening of what can now form an apprenticeship, it is now important for DA’s and managers across the University to better understand how these programmes can bring maximum benefit to their department and schools.
The aim of these roadshows are to:
Inform
Raise awareness of opportunities this presents
Gauge interest across University
ID potential areas where apprenticeships could be created that reflect Univ’s needs
Invite enquiries
We also have people here today who will provide case studies of apprenticeships that have run in their departments.

2. Eligibility
“From May 2017, an individual can be funded to undertake an apprenticeship at the same or lower level to acquire substantive new skills.”
DfE
So, how can you turn the Levy into an opportunity for your department? While more detail will be provided in the course of this presentation, from May 2017, an individual can be funded to undertake an apprenticeship at the same or lower level to acquire substantive new skills.”
The Levy can be used in multiple ways. You can either upskill your current experienced staff and support their development of skills needed going forward. Alternatively, you can use the Levy to bring in fresh, enthusiastic, new blood with the right talent and training to help further grow your organisation or department. Either way, using the Apprenticeship Levy can effectively help nurture expertise within the University as well as help produce operational change to improve productivity.

3. Benefits to the University
Attract and retain talent
Tailored learning to meet current and future needs
University viewed as ‘Employer of Choice’
ANIMATED SLIDE
Retain and attract talent: through the development of new and existing staff
Benefit from tailored learning to meet current and future needs of the University
University viewed as ‘Employer of Choice’
Reinvest the Apprenticeship Levy to nurture talent in line with University priorities
Reinvest the Apprenticeship Levy to nurture talent

4. Government Changes - Why?
productivity
Productivity
Social mobility
Investment
ANIMATED SLIDE
UK productivity lags behind other developed economies
Relative social mobility has stagnated or declined over recent decades
Employers are investing less in training
Simplifying the current system of funding apprenticeship frameworks
Meeting pledge made by the Government

5. What is the Apprenticeship Levy?
A levy to be paid by all employers with a pay bill in excess of £3m The levy is set at 0.5% of the pay bill Government will apply a 10% top up Funding will be accessed through a new Digital Account Service (DAS) Open to new and existing staff, all ages
Commencing 6 April 2017
So Apprenticeship Levy funding available for the University …….

6. Degree Apprenticeship
From GCSE to Masters
Advanced & Higher
Higher
Apprenticeship
Advanced
Apprenticeship
Intermediate
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
GCSE
level
A level
Degree
Yr 1
Degree
Yr 2
Degree
Yr 3
Masters Level
There are four levels of apprenticeship:
• Intermediate apprenticeships: equivalent to 5 good GCSEs.
• Advanced level apprenticeships: equivalent to two A-levels.
• Higher apprenticeships: can lead to a HND, HNC or foundation degree.
• Degree apprenticeships: can lead to a full undergraduate or postgraduate degree, and include study at a university.
Degree Apprenticeship

7. How much will an Apprenticeship cost?
All apprenticeship frameworks and standards have been placed on one of 15 bands –from £1,500 to £27,000
Employers negotiate a price for an apprentice’s training and assessment with an Approved Training Provider
How much will an Apprenticeship cost?
Funding band caps the maximum amount that can be used for an individual apprenticeship
Under the new funding system the price of apprenticeship training and assessment will depend on the band that the apprenticeship is in. There are 15 funding bands, with the upper limit of those bands ranging from £1,500 to £27,000.
Employers are expected to negotiate a price for an apprentice’s training and assessment in the knowledge that these caps set the maximum price that the Government is willing to fund. There is no lower limit – Government expects employers to shop around
The employer and provider are free to negotiate a price where the cost of the apprenticeship exceeds the funding band maximum. In this case the employer must pay the difference between the funding band maximum and the total negotiated price.
It is important to ensure that the apprentice’s prior learning is reflected in the negotiated price to ensure value for money.
A schedule outlining the funding bands can be found in your pack
Employers can ‘top up’ using own money to support the Apprenticeship

8. Where will the demand be?
Intermediate, Advanced or Higher and Degree Apprenticeship?
Examples of Apprenticeship standards
Title
Level
Funding Band
Hospitality (Commis Chef) 2 9
Science Lab Technician 3 13
Team Leader/Supervisor 7
Assistant Accountant 4
Digital & Technology Solution Professional 6 15
Chartered Management Degree
Postgraduate Engineer
University is looking to support a range of apprenticeships over all levels from Level 2 NVQs upto degree level
Refer to Trailblazers
To develop new Apprenticeships, employers are encouraged to be involved in trailblazer projects so that they can help develop new standards.
The University has been involved in a number of trailblazer projects
1) HE standards being developed for
Academic professional (under discussion) (led by Sarah Botcherby/Alice Benton)
HE professional – aimed at HE admin/research admin
Technician
2) Museums - New Standard for Museum and Gallery Technician Apprenticeships via the Department of Education (now Institute for Apprenticeships)

9. Accessing Levy Funds
DAS
Set up apprenticeship agreement in employer DAS account
10%
Government top up to monthly funds entering account
Monthly
Monthly draw down to provider
Amount to be held back and paid on completion of ‘end point assessment’
20%
Apprenticeships started before 1 May 2017 will be funded through to completion according to rules existing at time of set up (not funds in your digital account)
You’ll need to contact PPD to record the apprenticeship on the DAS (digital apprenticeship service). You must select the training provider and set up the agreement and costs (however you can ask the provider to do this for you). You’ll be able to see how much can be drawn down for each apprentice in the form of a voucher. You can then use these vouchers to spend on training with registered training organisations from May 2017.
Monthly payments will be automatically taken from the account and sent to the provider. If training should stop early then notification of the change needs to be made on the DAS so that payments will stop.
Funds will expire 24 months after they appear in the employer’s digital account 24

10. Where can you spend your funds?
You can spend your levy money on
You can’t spend your levy money on
Apprenticeship wages
Travel and subsistence costs
Cost of setting up an apprenticeship programme
Work placement programmes
Apprenticeship training
Materials & some accommodation
Apprenticeship ‘end point assessment’
ANIMATED SLIDE
Materials (non-capital items) used in the delivery of the apprenticeship framework or standard. By materials (non-capital items) we mean the equipment or supplies necessary to enable a particular learning activity to happen. These items would not normally have a lifespan beyond the individual apprenticeship being funded
Accommodation costs for learning delivered through residential modules where the residential learning is a requirement for all apprentices. Any costs for residential modules must represent value for money.
Not included:
Accommodation costs where the apprentice is resident away from their home base, because of the requirements of their day-to-day work or because this is convenient for the employer or provider. Residential costs associated with non-mandatory qualifications are also excluded.

11. What counts as an Apprenticeship?1 2
SALARY
A GENUINE JOB
At least the minimum apprentice wage rate
Must exist for a new recruit or current employee a during the apprenticeship 3 4
APPROVED APPRENTICE STANDARD
DURATION
Apprentice must be working towards achieving an approved standard
The apprenticeship must last for at least one year 5
Any apprenticeships that have commenced prior to 1 May 2017 will be funded through to completion according to the rules existing when set up
The cost of the apprenticeship is to be spread over the lifetime of the apprenticeship
Salary: New apprentices:
Start at Apprentice 1 – grade 11 (£13,965)
After 1 year, progress to – grade 15 (if all satisfactory)
After a further year, progress to grade 19 (if all satisfactory).
Existing staff will be offered at current salary
University has agreed pay scales above minimum apprentice wage rates 6
APPROVED TRAINING PROVIDER
20% OFF THE JOB TRAINING
Apprentice must need substantive new skills and spend at least 20% of their working hours on off-the-job training.
Training providers must be on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers

12. Issues to consider
What skills will be required in the future; review each vacancy
Is the individual committed to the training programme, including the assessments, portfolio, coursework?
Managing the 20% of work time on off-the-job training?
Is an apprenticeship the best response, rather than an alternative eg short training course?

13. Case Study
Each event to have a different case study from across the University – 5 mins with opportunity for questions after the
Presenting benefits and opportunities, success stories and lessons learnt from apprenticeships. 

14. Next steps Department University Approval of training providers
Consider areas that might benefit from Apprenticeships
Identify which standards
Identify potential individuals or initiate recruitment process
Liaise with PPD and approved training providers
Approval of training providers
Development of Apprenticeship website, including agreements and templates
Establish DAS (digital apprenticeship service)
Management Information – reporting requirements SFA, ILR ( Independent Learning Record), HESA
Legal – apprenticeship agreements, contracts, certification, employment requirements etc.
Delivery models – national, regional, local, collaboration with FECs, private training providers, work-based, blended and distance learning
Impact on research grants – where grants already existing Univ has agreed to top up
In future grants will take levy into consideration

15. Questions?