For Employers

What employers need to know

First things first

It is important to understand that an apprenticeship is a ‘genuine job.’ The difference between an apprenticeship and any other job is that an apprenticeship comes with an accompanying ‘skills development programme.’ This provides apprentices with an opportunity to earn while they learn and to gain valuable skills and knowledge in their specific job role as well as a nationally recognised qualification. 

Apprentices gain knowledge and skills through a wide mix of learning opportunities both on the job and off-the-job and can apply and practise what they learn in a real work environment.

Apprenticeships are suitable for people at any age and any level so you can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee, allowing you to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. 

Apprenticeships to all intents and purposes are free to both the employer and the learner – as they are funded by levy tax. 

How do they work?

Off The Job Training (OTJT).

All Apprentices are required to spend 20% of their contracted working hours developing new knowledge, skills and behaviours and at Ebor Academy Trust as part of this requirement we ask that our apprentices spend a minimum of one afternoon per week completely off the job. This is in order to attend live workshops and to develop an Apprentice Portfolio of Evidence. 

In addition they will also need opportunities to complete planned and directed learning activities in the workplace e.g. undertake research, complete self-directed learning or evidence based tasks, observe, meet and shadow colleagues.

This, along with mandatory training and in school CPD opportunities ensures the minimum 20% requirement is more than met.

Work on the Job  – often referred to as on the job training – means working under the supervision and guidance of others. This ensures an apprentice develops both the hard and soft, sector specific skills for their workplace.

At Ebor Academy Trust we work with employers and apprentices to create a training and development plan that works for both employer and learner.

Eligibility Criteria

Apprenticeships are open to a wide range of individuals in England, regardless of age, background, or previous qualifications. However, because Apprenticeships are funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, key funding criteria must be met.

These are:

• The applicant must be aged 16 or above.(there is no upper age limit)
• The applicant must have a valid and eligible residency status and the right to work in the UK (the applicant must have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years and work in the UK for at least 50% of their contracted hours)
• The applicant will not be undertaking any other government funded training.
• The applicant will not have the same qualification in the same subject area as the apprenticeship applied for (applicants can have other/higher qualifications like degrees – just not in the same/similar subject)
• The job role/duties undertaken by the applicant will provide adequate opportunity to meet the (knowledge, skills and behaviour) requirements set out in the apprenticeship.

Employer responsibilities

If you choose to recruit and/or develop staff through an Ebor apprenticeship you will need to:

• Pay them a “lawful wage” that complies with regulations for their age 
• Employ them for the duration of their apprenticeship programme including the final assessment 
• Allow the apprentice to complete their off-the-job training during normal working hours
• Assign a workplace mentor – who will take a lead on the following:
• Support and encourage the apprentices development, giving the apprentice appropriate support and supervision as well as opportunities to consolidate new learning in the workplace
• Assist the training provider in collecting evidence of off-the-job training
• Contribute to progress reviews with the apprentice and training provider 
• Agree and sign compliance documents at the beginning and end of the apprenticeship (employer or mentor). These are generated by the training provider/us.

As the majority of our Training is conducted online it is also a requirement that you:

• Provide any apprentice without it, access to appropriate IT equipment in order to access and fully engage with online training and development opportunities.

Entry Requirements

Ideally, apprentices applying for L3 and above apprenticeships will have evidence of achievement at L2, including those in both English and Maths. However, the mandatory requirement for all apprentices to either have or to gain these qualifications prior to completion of their Level 3 Apprenticeship was removed by the Government in February 2025.

It is now primarily up to employers as to whether apprentices without L2 English and Maths qualifications should work towards these as part of their training plan – and it is anticipated that this will depend on their roles and responsibilities. We encourage employers to consider the possibility of further/future training and career progression opportunities for the apprentice too.

Where it is decided apprentices should work towards achieving these qualifications we can help them to do so, but additional time during working hours may need to be allocated for this.

The Apprenticeship Service

The apprenticeship service on GOV.UK provides employers with further information and tools to plan, manage and control apprenticeships and account funds.

The benefits of both on the job learning and off the job training/development time are crucial to the success of the apprenticeship and to successful outcomes for both apprentices and employers.

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Our apprenticeship programme was awarded “Good” in all areas by Ofsted in Autumn 2022. Inspectors said Ebor programmes helped apprentices “develop significant and relevant new skills, knowledge and behaviours” and that they feel valued and listened to and grow in confidence and resilience to carry out their roles.

“Trainers, who are well qualified and highly experienced in the sector deliver lessons that are interesting and thought provoking,” they said.

Ofsted noted that over half of the apprentices who completed their programme with Ebor achieved a distinction grade in their end-point assessment.

To get things moving: email Sue Hinchcliffe apprenticeships@ebor.academy