1. Apprenticeships From Policy To Practice ~ Genuine Job ~
Welcome to Apprenticeships – From Policy To Practice.
This video is designed to tell you everything you need to know about Genuine Job.
Narrated by Dr Sarah Stear
Head of Apprenticeship Policy Implementation
Skills Funding Agency

2. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
What Is An Apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme.
Through an apprenticeship, an apprentice can gain:
technical knowledge
practical experience
wider skills (for immediate job and future career)
In the Funding Rules, for new apprenticeship starts from May 2017, we have been really clear about what we consider an apprenticeship to be.
The reason for this, is to protect and safeguard the apprentice and to protect and safeguard public funds.
In the funding rules we define an apprenticeship as “a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme”.
Through this apprenticeship an apprentice can expect to gain:
technical knowledge
practical experience
and the wider skills that they need for their immediate job and their future career.
But let’s go back to that definition – “a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme”.
What do we mean by genuine job?

3. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Genuine Job
By this we mean that:
The apprentice must have a contract of employment which is long enough for them to complete the apprenticeship successfully (or they must be employed by an ATA).
The cost of the apprentice’s wages must be met by the employer.
By “genuine job” we are talking about 4 key things:
Number 1
The apprentice must have a contract of employment which is long enough for them to complete the apprenticeship successfully (or they must be employed by an apprenticeship training agency).
The funding rules clearly state that the minimum duration for an apprenticeship is one year. And this is based on a 30-hour week. If the apprentice is working less than 30 hours, then the minimum duration must be extended accordingly and there is guidance in the Apprenticeship Funding Rules about this.
Number 2
The cost of the apprentice’s wages must be met by the employer.
The apprentice must be paid a wage and there are rules around what this be as a minimum although many employers pay above this minimum.

4. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Genuine Job
The apprentice must have a job role within the organisation that provides the opportunity for them to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to achieve their apprenticeship.
The apprentice must have appropriate support from within the organisation to carry out their job role.
Number 3
The apprentice must have a job role within the organisation that provides the opportunity for them to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to achieve their apprenticeship.
This is really important because, without it, it would be difficult for the apprentice to gather the evidence they need to achieve their apprenticeship. For example, if you were undertaking a hairdressing apprenticeship, but you weren’t in a role that allowed you to practice hairdressing skills all the time, then you would struggle to prove competence.
And finally Number 4
The apprentice must have appropriate support from within the organisation to carry out their job role.
Carrying out a job as well as undertaking an apprenticeship is hard work and it’s important that an apprentice is properly supported in their endeavours by their employer. By doing so both the apprentice and the employer will get the maximum benefit.
So it’s these 4 things together – the contract of employment, the wages, the appropriate job role and the support of the employer - that we are looking for when we talk about a genuine job.
But why is the definition so important? What are we trying to achieve?

5. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Why?
Protect and safeguard the apprentice
Protect and safeguard public funds
Protect the apprenticeship brand
Support flexible employment practice (e.g. fixed term contracts)
Discourage poor employment practice (e.g. bogus jobs)
I said earlier that providing a clear definition in the funding rules was about protecting and safeguarding both the apprentice and public funds. This is very important.
In addition, it’s also about protecting the apprenticeship brand, which has grown from strength to strength over recent years, particularly with the development of higher and degree level apprenticeships.
It’s about supporting flexible employment practice - we absolutely want to give employer’s flexibility in the way that they can recruitment apprentices. For example if an employer wants to recruit an apprentice on a fixed term contract then this is fine.
But, we also need to discourage poor employment practice and by this I mean jobs being created purely for the purposes of using apprenticeship levy funds.

6. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
After The Apprenticeship
When the apprenticeship is achieved the apprentice should remain with the employer, where a job opportunity continues to exist and where the apprentice wishes to remain. Where this is not possible the apprentice must be supported by their provider and employer to seek alternative opportunities.
When the apprenticeship is achieved the apprentice should ideally remain with the same employer, where a job opportunity continues to exist and where the apprentice wishes to remain.
We understand that this is not always possible. In these circumstances we ask that the apprentice is supported by their provider and employer to seek alternative opportunities, in the same way that any employee coming to the end of a contract might be supported.

7. What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Funding Rules May 2017
What Is An Apprenticeship? - Genuine Job
Monitoring
The SFA will monitor apprentice destination data and HMRC data to ensure that job roles are genuine and are not created purely for the purposes of the apprenticeship programme.
In terms of monitoring, the SFA will analyse apprentice destination data and HMRC data to ensure that job roles are genuine and are not created purely for the purposes of the apprenticeship programme.
We will especially be looking for churn – where one set of apprentices is finished to make way for a second set doing exactly the same job.
Where we have concerns we will always talk to the employer concerned first, as there may be legitimate reasons for this happening.
And we will only take action if employer recruitment practice is detrimental either to the apprentice or to the apprenticeship brand.
Action may include restricting an employer accessing their levy fund or restricting access to government co-investment.

8. Apprenticeships From Policy To Practice ~ Genuine Job ~
I hope that you have found this video helpful.