What is an Apprenticeship?
If you have employees who live in England and are over 16 they can apply for an Apprenticeship. There are various levels of Apprenticeship they can undertake depending on their current skills and qualifications:
Intermediate Level Apprenticeship (Level 2)
Advanced Level Apprenticeship (Level 3)
Higher and Degree Level Apprenticeship (Level 4 or above)
Find out more about the wide range of Courses we offer, from Health and Social Care to Retail and Management qualifications.
If you are a line manager of apprentices or are considering taking one on, please read our Line Manager Guide to Apprenticeships.
All Apprenticeships are real jobs so all apprentices earn a salary. You must pay your apprentices at least the national apprentice minimum wage, currently £6.40 per hour (Tax year 24/25), however many employers pay significantly more. This increases to £7.55 from April 2025. Apprentices should work for at least 30 hours per week and an Apprenticeship takes between one and five years to complete, depending upon the level of Apprenticeship and the industry sector. https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
Most of the training is delivered in the workplace, so your staff will learn the skills they need to do the job well. The rest of the training is given by a training organisation, either at the workplace, off-site or via e-learning. The balance of this is set to suit you as the employer and your staff member. The training is specifically tailored to ensure learners develop the skills their employer wants, giving apprentices a real advantage in the workplace. This means that apprentices not only have better long term salary prospects, but they also have excellent progression opportunities, whether looking to study further or climb the ranks within the workplace.
Requirement for Off the Job Training
Anyone undertaking an apprenticeship must be given the equivalent of 6 hours per week to dedicate to off the job training. This means training that is directly related to the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours outlined in the apprenticeship standard. It can include Fareport training sessions, workbooks, online learning, assignments as well as employer led training, mentoring, job shadowing and projects. It can be at their usual place of work, or offsite, but crucially it must be within their normal working hours. Fareport will work with you to plan how the off the job training will be delivered, and document this in your Training Agreement.
How much does an apprenticeship cost?
All Apprenticeships are real jobs so all apprentices earn a salary. You must pay your apprentices at least the national apprentice minimum wage, currently £6.40 per hour (Tax year 24/25). This increases to £7.55 from April 2025.
The cost to you of the training depends on the size of your business. Find out more about Apprenticeship Funding.
Why work with Fareport?
We are an Ofsted Good graded provider operating nationally.
We have successfully delivered programmes in dozens of levy employers since the introduction of new standards.
We develop close partnerships with our employers and have excellent Employer feedback (91% recommendation rate).
We pride ourselves on our dedicated, tailored and responsive account management, which we believe sets us apart from our peers.
If you choose to work with us the support you receive will be as strong through the programme as it is on Day 1, allowing us to continuously refine and improve the programme.
We will create bespoke programmes to suit your business, incorporating your culture and objectives and linking in with existing training programmes.
We have national coverage and trainers who are local to each area.
We understand the challenges of managing multiple sites in one programme from working with a variety of U.K wide businesses., and will create a consistent, high quality programme for all.
You will work directly with one of our experienced Account Managers.
We have been working with new standards and the apprenticeship levy since they launched in 2017, and had over 30 years’ experience in delivering work based training and apprenticeships before that.
We constantly improve our programmes and resources to best prepare learners for End Point Assessment. This is reflected in our excellent EPA results. 71% of our learners achieved either a Merit or Distinction in their EPA.
Who are Apprenticeships for?
Many successful careers start with an Apprenticeship. On completion, 90% of apprentices stay in employment with 71% staying with the same employer.
They are open to people of any age and can be for either new recruits or your existing staff. Even those with higher qualifications can undertake an apprenticeship where they are gaining substantial new skills and knowledge.
Benefits of Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships benefit both employers and employees by improving retention, increasing morale and motivation and improving productivity:
90% of apprentices stay in employment after finishing their apprenticeships (including 2% self employed)
71% of apprentices stay with their employer
82% said their apprenticeship had improved their ability to do the job and 79% said their career prospects had improved.
What are the employer responsibilities when taking an apprentice?
By employing an apprentice, you have certain requirements to meet. You must:
Give them an induction into their role and provide on-the-job training.
Allow them to spend at least 6 hours per week on the off-the-job training required for their apprenticeship
Issue a contract of employment and pay at least the Apprenticeship National Minimum Wage. Apprentices who are under 19, or who are over 19 and in the first year of their intermediate level or advanced level apprenticeship, must be paid a minimum of £6.40 per hour (Tax year 24/25). However many businesses pay more. This increases to £7.55 from April 2025.
Provide apprentices with the same benefits as other employees.
The minimum hours of employment for an apprentice are 30 hours per week. By exception, where the individuals circumstances or the particular nature of employment in a given sector makes this impossible, then an absolute minimum of 16 hours must be met. In such cases the duration of the apprenticeship should be extended.
All apprentices must have an Apprenticeship Agreement between the employer and the apprentice.
Contact us
For more information on Apprenticeships or to recruit an apprentice, please contact the Business Development Team on;
01329 825805