Funding and Incentives

Employers are entitled to £1,000 incentive payment for supporting a 16-18 year old partaking in an apprenticeship standard, as well as a 19-24 year old formerly in care or who has an Education and Health Care Plan.

Evidence of an original signed declaration by the apprentice to confirm that they are a care leaver or evidence of an EHC plan is required in order to claim this incentive.

Please get in touch with our Business Training Solutions team by calling 01922 657000 or submitting an enquiry if you would like to discuss hiring an apprentice.

The Employer Support Fund for T-Levels is a program aimed at providing financial assistance and support to employers who engage with the T-Level programme.

By engaging with the fund, employers can contribute to the development and delivery of high-quality technical education, ensuring that students acquire the skills and knowledge required to thrive in the workplace.

There is no limit on the number of students an employer can host on an industry placement or make claims for legitimate costs for, however employers can only claim for costs up to a maximum of £25,000 across all placements they are hosting. Legitimate costs could include: administrative costs, training costs and tangible costs such as equipment, insurance and software licensing.

PLEASE NOTE: The information below is subject to change upon receiving further guidance from the government.

The Department for Education has published draft Apprenticeship funding rules for 2024-25 and a summary of changes. There is an article in FE Week about the proposed changes.

There is also a policy paper on Apprenticeship funding which sets out the policy for apprenticeship funding reforms in England, for new apprentices starting from 1 April 2024.

For new starts from 1 April 2024, where the employer does not pay the apprenticeship levy, the government will fund all of the apprenticeship training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for apprentices who are aged between 16 and 21 years old when they start their apprenticeship training. This removes the need for non-levy paying employers to pay the 5% co-investment cost of training.

From April 2024, the proportion of funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to other businesses, including smaller firms, will increase to 50%.

Current guidance (subject to change)

The levy is designed to put apprenticeship funding in the hands of employers and encourage them to invest in and create apprenticeships.

• Regardless of sector, all employers with a payroll of over £3 million per annum (around 2% of UK businesses) are required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy.
• These businesses are required to pay 0.5% of their paybill to fund the levy.
• Once a business has started contributing to the levy, it will get access to the Apprenticeship Service; an online portal where funds can be used to recruit new talent and training.
• The remaining 98% of UK businesses are still able to take advantage of the levy by working with training providers to create a suitable apprenticeship programme for your business.
• Non-levy paying business will need to contribute 5% towards the cost of the required apprenticeship and the government will pay the remaining 95%.

Workwise offers eligible newly employed applicants a discount off the full cost price on selected travel passes across the West Midlands network for the first 3 months of a new job. This includes Apprenticeships.

Tickets available over bus, train and tram. For more information about the scheme, how much discount you can get, eligibility and how to apply, visit Workwise.