We're still delivering apprenticeships during COVID-19 | Financial incentives for employers now extended until 31st March 2021 - Find out more
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Our apprenticeship training programme
Apprenticeships are the perfect way to invest in your workforce, by employing new recruits or upskilling existing staff. We offer apprenticeships for business, the public sector, and the charity sector. St John Ambulance draw on our expertise of delivering highly trusted training programmes, to provide excellent learning opportunities for your employees in a range of subjects.
Through our national apprenticeship programmes, you will develop a stronger and more resilient workforce that reflects the values of your organisation. We will support your employees to reach their full potential. St John Ambulance are an approved training provider on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) and can offer advice and support around how to fund an apprenticeship, including making use of the Apprenticeship Levy.
Why choose St John Ambulance as your apprenticeship training provider?
All our work is driven by our HEART values:
- Specialism in the third sector allows us to embed humanity at the core of all our apprenticeships.
- We are the nation’s leading first aid charity, with a proud history of delivering excellent training.
- Allow us to take accountability to manage a smooth learning journey every step of the way, using our interactive online platform.
- A blended learning approach which combines online learning modules with face-to-face delivery, which can be responsive to the needs of your organisation.
- Teamwork between you and St John Ambulance to build the exact package you need, with the opportunity to enhance the learning experience with courses such as Mental Health First Aid.
What can learners expect?
Learners on a St John Ambulance apprenticeship programme will receive training of the highest quality which both engages and challenges them to stretch their skills, knowledge and behaviours to the next level.
We endeavour to involve learners at every stage of their apprenticeship, from on-boarding right through to coaching for their end-point assessment, ensuring that they receive a completely learner-centric experience which will serve them well not just on day one of their programme, but every day for the rest of their career.
St John Ambulance take great pride in embedding our HEART values within all learning opportunities. This means the training apprentices receive will be firmly rooted in our values of humanity, excellence, accountability, responsiveness and teamwork. Importantly, we will take time to understand the values of your own organisation, so that learning can focus on these too!
How are apprenticeships run?
All our apprenticeships take a blended learning approach:
- Face-to-face or webinar sessions
- Online learning modules
- Capturing work-based learning
- Regular review meetings
How much does an apprenticeship cost?
You can get help from the government to pay for apprenticeship training. The amount you get depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy or not. You could be eligible for extra funding depending on both your and your apprentice’s circumstances.
You pay the Apprenticeship Levy if you’re an employer with a pay bill over £3 million each year. If you do not need to pay the levy, you pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing your apprentice.
Additionally, there are also incentive payments for employers who hire a new apprentice between 1 August 2020 and 31 March 2021. You can apply for the payment until 30 April 2021. For more information, see our FAQ below.
For full details on apprenticeship funding & incentive payments, please check the Government's website. To register for an apprenticeship service account to access funds or pay for training, please visit the Government's website.
Apprenticeship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
New to apprenticeships for business?
As a national apprenticeship training provider on the national Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP), we’ll support you at every step of becoming an apprenticeship employer.
What financial incentives are there?
The government recently announced that it will be extending its incentive scheme for recruiting an apprentice until 31st March 2021. This means there is no time like the present for hiring a new apprentice!
For apprentices aged:
- 16 to 24, employers will receive £2,000
- 25 and over, employers will receive £1,500
You can spend the incentive payments on anything to support your organisation’s costs. This could include uniforms, your apprentice’s travel or their salary. You do not have to pay it back.
This payment is in addition any other incentive payments you already receive. For example, the existing £1,000 you’ll already get for taking on an apprentice who is aged 16 to 18 years old, or under 25 and has an education, health and care plan, or has been in the care of their local authority.
Are apprenticeships still running during COVID-19?
Yes! Despite the coronavirus pandemic, St John Ambulance have responded in such a way that we can continue to deliver high-quality apprenticeship provision. This involves a blended learning approach which combines online self-study modules, webinars, and face-to-face online teaching. As we continue to deliver, we will be able to review and refine our delivery model on an ongoing basis.
What is the Apprenticeship Levy?
The Apprenticeship Levy is a UK tax on employers with an annual payroll of over £3 million.
Organisations who pay the Apprenticeship Levy will receive levy funds to pay for apprenticeship training. The government will add 10%.
Smaller organisations don't pay the Apprenticeship Levy. To support apprenticeships within these smaller organisations, the government will fund 95% of the apprenticeship training, meaning you must only pay 5% toward the cost of training and assessing your apprentice.
Am I making the most of the Apprenticeship Levy?
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Upskill existing staff: As levy payments only cover apprentice training (not salary), using the levy to provide apprenticeship training for existing members of staff is an excellent way to make sure you can utilise your entire levy pot. Existing staff complete an apprenticeship in the same way as new starters, with 20% of their time allocated for study. In accordance with recent apprenticeship reforms, staff can now take apprenticeships at the same or lower level as a qualification already held, as long as it’s in a different area, where the individual needs significant new knowledge and skills.
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Make sure your funds don’t expire: Use it or lose it. Levy funds expire after 24 months, so make sure you plan ahead (whether you plan to hire new staff or upskill existing team members), ensure that you have employees ready to begin their training and provision agreed with providers. To help minimise the amount of funds that expire, your digital account will automatically use the funds that entered your account first and you’ll be notified well in advance of any funds expiring.
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Get additional training funding when your levy runs out: If spending your whole levy pot isn’t a problem, the government will co-invest 95% of any additional training you wish to purchase, if the funds in a given month aren’t enough to meet the costs of your apprenticeship training (up to the maximum value of the funding band for the apprenticeship). The government will only co-invest if your organisation pays the remaining 5%.
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Share with your supply chain: From 2018 onwards the government plans to enable employers to share up to 25% of their levy pot with other companies – such as those in their supply chain. There is substantial scope for sharing funds in this way to have benefits for businesses more broadly, including improved corporate relations and increased productivity across the supply chain.
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Additional Payments: Employers may also receive payments towards the additional cost associated with training if, at the start of the apprenticeship, the apprentice is aged between 16 and 18 years old, or aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either an EHC plan or has been in the care of the local authority. The government will also fund all the apprenticeship training costs, up to the maximum value of the funding band for the apprenticeship, for employers employing fewer than 50 people (SME).
Who is eligible to be an apprentice?
Anyone who is 16 years old or older can become an apprentice. They must not in full-time education or undertaking any other government-funded training. They must be employed or otherwise engaged by your organisation for a period long enough to allow them to complete their apprenticeship. Apprentices must be paid a lawful wage.
There is no upper age limit, making an apprenticeship an ideal way of upskilling your existing staff.
Does an apprentice have to work full time?
How long does an apprenticeship last?
All apprenticeships must last for a minimum of twelve months. Many will last longer, and this largely depends on the knowledge, skills and behaviours which an apprentice needs to develop to become competent in their job role. Previous learning and experience, as well as prior attainment of English and Maths qualifications are also contributing factors to the length of an apprenticeship.
What types of apprenticeships are available?
How is an apprenticeship assessed?
All apprenticeship standards are assessed by an end-point assessment. This takes place once the practical period of training and learning has been completed. The end-point assessment (EPA) is conducted by a specialist and independent end-point assessment organisation (EPAO), chosen by the you as the employer. Assessment methods vary depending on the apprenticeship standard, but are devised to replicate performance within the targeted job role. The end-point assessment is an opportunity for apprentices to demonstrate their competency in the knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with their job role.
What is an apprenticeship standard?
An apprenticeship standard is a set of knowledge, skills and behaviours which are specific to the needs of job roles within all sectors. These were developed by groups of employers known as ‘trailblazers’, with more and more continuing to be developed and published. Apprenticeship standards replaced the previous apprenticeship frameworks, which were simply a combination of qualifications within a given subject area.
Is St John Ambulance a ROATP registered apprenticeship training provider?
St John Ambulance is on the UK Government's Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (ROATP). You can find out more about registered apprenticeship training providers on the gov.uk website.
Any questions?
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