Despite stealing most of the media attention, the apprenticeship levy isn’t the only major change to apprenticeships in recent years.
The levy went hand-in-hand with a suite of radical changes to what apprenticeships are, who they’re for, and how they can be delivered.
So what’s new?
There are apprenticeships for almost every job you can imagine – not just manual work
Standards exist for many office roles such as HR, accountancy, law, management, marketing and sales. There are apprentices in 1,500 roles across 170 industries in the UK.
Apprenticeships can train people for high-level positions (even up to C-suite!)
Apprenticeships aren’t only for entry-level roles. They can train staff for managerial jobs such as HR Consultant/Partner, and even more senior positions – the Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship allows C-suite level executives to gain an MBA.
Apprentices can be of any age
The only requirement is that staff are over 16, not in full-time education, and spend at least 50% of their working hours in England.
Apprentices can be current staff as well as new starts
While apprenticeships are ideal for attracting fresh talent, you can also use the levy to invest in your current workforce.
Training doesn’t need to involve time away from the office
All apprentices must spend at least 20% of their time on off-the-job training.
However, while traditionally this would have been in a classroom, a new generation of training providers are using online learning to provide a flexible, digital-first alternative.
This allows apprentices to learn at their own pace on a flexible schedule that fits around their duties, allowing training to be integrated seamlessly into the workplace.
Ready to take advantage of apprenticeships? ICS Learn provides flexible, digital-first apprenticeships fully funded by your levy. Arrange a free in-house consultation today.