Apprenticeships are an excellent way to recruit new employees who can be trained and developed to support business needs whilst building their skills and knowledge.

Apprenticeships can also be used to upskill existing employees for new or developing roles. The apprenticeship programme is tailored to the employer – you are in the driving seat.

The Government's guide to recruiting an apprentice gives an overview of the process.

To discuss the process for recruiting an apprentice and to help you decide if it is the best option for your business, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Worcestershire Apprenticeship service will help match your businesses to the appropriate training organisation. You can contact them by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0300 66366.

Key facts about apprenticeships

You decide which apprenticeship standard and which individual will meet your business needs and if required which provider will support you through the process.
For every £1 spent on an apprentice, they contribute £28 to the employer, an excellent return on investment.
You pay the wages of the apprentice – at least £4.81 (rising to £5.28 April 2023) per hour and a percentage of the cost of training for apprentices for employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy.
There is no cost to the employer for apprenticeship training if they have less than 50 employees, and an apprentice (on the first day of their apprenticeship) is aged 16-18 or 19-24 with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC) or has been in the care of their local authority.
Off-the-job training is required for the purpose of achieving the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of the approved apprenticeship. On-the-job training can include training that is delivered at the apprentice’s normal place of work. It can also include regular day release, block release and special training days/workshops. An apprentice must be on the job for a minimum of 25 hours a week and with 5 hours off the job training.
At least 20% of an apprentice’s normal working hours, over the planned duration of the apprenticeship training period must be spent doing off the job training.

Advice on attracting applicants

Attracting quality applicants is important for your business. At a time when there are labour shortages, it is even more important you make your business stand out and applying for your vacancies as easy as possible.

Make sure your advert is clear, written in plain English and includes important information like job title, pay, location, training opportunities and how you want people to apply. For example, can they email, do they send a CV, can they contact you for a brief chat about the role etc. It is ok not to ask for a CV or application form and instead invite a candidate for a short work trial.
Use all opportunities to advertise your vacancy. Free options include your wall or window, job sites and community pages on social media, your own social media channels and your website. If you can afford to look at paid for options including local newspaper jobs sites, popular national job sites, the job centre and recruitment agencies.
If you don’t want to sift forms, arrange for an agency or training organisation to do this. Bear in mind they may not send all the applicants to you if there are similar jobs on offer on their books.
Value your applicants. They may well be your future customers or supply chain. Acknowledge and respond to their application.
Be realistic with your expectations. A fully qualified IT person is not going to work for less than £25,000 and fewer people are attracted by first year apprenticeship wages of £4.30.
Be realistic about the applicants. Job seekers will often be applying for multiple jobs with each form taking several hours to complete. Be selective in the information you require in order to choose who progresses to your next stage.

Employment website that can advertise your jobs can be found on the jobs page of our website.

If you need help deciding on wage levels and profiles most likely to fill your vacancies quickly then please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Benefits of training your staff

There are several ways to upskill your existing or new staff. The Government and Malvern Hills District Council encourage you and help you to do this with funding packages.

Upskilling people to be your Future Workforce enables you to grow according to the needs of your business. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for friendly support, advice and information tailored to your business.

Below is a list of the main apprenticeship, adult training and in-house training schemes available.

Free government training

You can give your staff aged 19 and over time off in the working week to take up free training in qualifications such as accounting and finance, digital and more.

These free qualification are open to those who:

are 19 or over and do not already have a level 3 qualification
already have a level 3 qualification or higher but earn below the National Living Wage annually (£18,525 from April 2022)
already have a level 3 qualification or higher but are unemployed
Find out more about free government training courses

Find out more about free government training courses. These courses are eligible for the upskilling grant of Malvern District Council as they all require at least 16 weeks of one day a week training and result in a qualification.

Free adult education for your workforce

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) funds the delivery of full and part-time education and training for learners aged 19 and over.

The AEB aims to provide the skills and learning needed to progress in work and life. Employers can support their employees to undertake AEB funded courses by giving them time off. The age of the learner and previous qualification attainment levels determine whether the course can be fully funded, co-funded (a fees contribution) or the uptake of a loan.

The wage rate, hours or location of the business has no effect on their employee’s eligibility for this training.

The funding can be accessed through local training providers or colleges. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for information on how to access these courses.

These are the free courses available in Worcestershire.

Funded in-house training for your workforce

Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) is a programme developed to upskill employees within small and medium-sized businesses. SSW provides recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses to enhance your employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of your business and boost the local economy. The programme works with new recruits as well as your existing staff.

Contact Jo O’Sullivan at Serco on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss how this programme can benefit your business. The recruit or existing employee must be paid at least the minimum or living wage for their age and circumstances.

SSW's network of expert training providers will work with you to develop a bespoke training programme relevant to your needs. There is a wide range of training on offer including:

IT and digital skills
Business administration
Customer service
Team leading & project management
Health and social care
Warehousing and storage
Communication

If you are facing an organisational restructure or the prospect of making hard decisions about staff redundancy, the Skills Support for Redundancy (SSR) programme can provide you with funded support which will ensure your employees get access to bespoke training to support them to find suitable employment or their next career.

Both SSR and SSW are co-financed by the Education & Skills Funding Agency and European Social Fund so you can access support at no cost to your business until 2023.

Visit www.serco-ssw.com to find out more about how these programmes can benefit your business.

Pay levels for your trainee and costs to the business of employing an apprentice

Keep up to date with the correct wage for your apprentice on the Government website. You may also have to pay pension and national insurance contributions and for your workplace insurance you will have employee liability costs. There will also be some costs associated with the training of an apprenticeship. Worcestershire Apprenticeships can advise.

Funding to help with the cost of employing a trainee or apprentice

Government funding for training

You can get help from the Government to pay the training costs of your apprentice(s). How much you will receive will depend on whether or not you pay the Apprenticeship Levy. The levy is paid by businesses with a turnover of £3million or more.

If you do not pay the levy then you will have to pay 5% towards the cost of training your apprentice(s) with the Government paying the rest up to a maximum level.

If you do pay the levy, then you'll get money to spend on training and assessing your apprentices with the Government adding 10%.

Find out more about the apprenticeship levy on the Government's website or contact Worcestershire Apprenticeships on 0300 666 3 666 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Government Payments for hiring a young apprentice

Employers and training providers could get £1,000 each for taking on an apprentice who is either:

aged 16 to 18 years old, or
aged 19 to 25 years old and has an education, health and care (EHC) plan or has been in the care of their local authority

Find out more: Payments for hiring a young apprentice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Malvern Hills Upskilling Grant

Malvern Hills District Council is helping local businesses create their workforce of the future through the Upskilling Grant Scheme. We will provide funding of up to £1,500 to help with the business cost of training new staff (i.e. apprenticeships, trainee or other).

In order to qualify the business must:

Be based in the Malvern Hills district postcode area.
Employ fewer than 250 people.
Pay at least the Minimum Wage to the trainee for a post of at least 30 hrs a week including training leading to a recognised qualification.
The apprentice/ trainee must have started their training after 1 October 2022 and have at least a 12 month signed employment contract.

You will also need to provide the following evidence:

Proof of enrolment on a training course signed by the employer and training referrer/provider organisation
Copy of the contract of employment
Signed Grant Agreement between employer and Malvern Hills District Council
Any additional evidence requested by Malvern Hills District Council

If you would like to discuss this grant please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01684 862185.

Please read the full guidance and T&C’s before applying for the grant.

View application form.

Construction industry grants

If you are a construction company money may be available through the Construction Industry Training Board levy funding. For more information contact Trevor Oakley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

List your apprenticeship vacancies

If you have have apprenticeship vacancies but are struggling for applicants then list them with Worcestershire Apprentices and they will refer you to a training provider who will help you recruit the right person for your needs.

List your vacancy with Worcestershire Apprentices.

Other training schemes

Work experience and internships

If you know you will have future employment opportunities it may help to introduce people 16 - 20 years old, who will be in the jobs market in a few years, to your business through work experience. You can make these opportunities available directly to your local schools or through Kim Cook at Worcestershire Apprentices by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You could also consider taking on a graduate looking for an internship. For more information contact Worcester University by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Aston University at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Worcester University offers a part-time work experience programme Springboard to match Business & Computing student with short term roles and work experience opportunities, find out more on the Worcester University website.

T Levels

T Level qualifications give young people the technical skills they need to build their careers. To achieve a T Level pass every student has to complete a substantial Industry Placement with a local employer as part of their course.

Find out more about T-levels - T Levels | The Next Level Qualification.

Traineeships

Traineeships are a learning and work placement programme funded by the Government for a maximum of one year.

They allow you to get to know and work with young people before recruiting them as apprentices by offering a minimum of 70 hours of work experience.

The training provider will design the programme with you so that it suits both your business and the needs of the trainee.

The benefits of a traineeship programme for your business include giving your current employees experience in training and mentoring, helping you to increase capacity and productivity by developing a loyal and talented workforce.

For more information and to offer a placement contact 07404 895438 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..