As an employer, apprenticeships provide you with a valuable member of staff who will be developing their skills and/or gaining experience while working for your school.
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a genuine job and under all circumstances an apprentice will be employed from day one. Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job with study. An apprentice will:
- work alongside experienced staff
- gain job-specific skills
- earn a wage and get holiday pay
- be given time for study related to their role (the equivalent of 20% of contracted working hours)
Apprenticeship training can be utilised to develop existing staff or to recruit a new member of staff, as an apprentice. More information can be found here.
How does the funding work for Cambridgeshire Maintained Schools?
Cambridgeshire maintained schools, for the purposes of the apprenticeship levy, are considered employees of Cambridgeshire County Council. This is why maintained schools pay into the levy through the Cambridgeshire County Council. This means that maintained schools wanting to utilise the levy to develop existing staff or employ an apprentice must follow the same procurement process as the County Council.
Academy schools and Trusts hold their own apprenticeship levy funds and do not need to follow County Council procurement procedures. Guidance can be found here: Apprenticeship funding rules August 2023 to July 2024
Where do I get started as a Cambridgeshire maintained school?
Step 1:
Please make an initial enquiry with our Learning and Development Advisor (Apprenticeships), Donna Hawtin, at apprenticeships@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Donna will guide you through the process of identifying, recruiting and monitoring your apprentice. You must follow the process to avoid delays and to provide the best possible clarity for all parties involved.
If you wish to enrol onto an apprenticeship you will be requested to complete eligibility forms for you as an employer and one for the potential apprentice. They are both below (Form 2 and 3).
Step 2:
Cambridgeshire County Council has a number of contracts in place for a portfolio of apprenticeships. Schools can use these to quickly engage with the apprenticeship recruitment process. Where possible these contracts will support your apprenticeship recruitment process.
The following apprenticeships are available with no fixed enrolment dates:
Level 3 Business Administrator – Typical duration 18 months. Business administrator / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for all school administration staff.
Level 4 School Business Professional – Typical duration 18 months. School business professional / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for School Business Manager, HR Manager, Finance Manager, Office Manager, School Administrator, Business Support Officer and Bursar.
Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner – Typical duration 12 months. Customer service practitioner / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for staff engaging externally via face-to-face, telephone, post, email, text and social media.
Level 3 Customer services specialist – Typical duration 15 months. Customer service specialist / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for staff who are experts in the organisation’s services and dealing with ‘customer’ queries and complaints.
Level 3 Team Leader or Supervisor – Typical duration 12 months. Team leader or supervisor / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for staff supporting, managing and developing team members, managing projects, planning and monitoring workloads and resources, delivering operational plans, resolving problems, and building relationships internally and externally.
Level 3 Teaching Assistant - Typical duration 18 months. Teaching Assistant / Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for Teaching Assistant, Learning Support Assistant, Specialist Support Assistant and Support for Specialist Curriculum Areas.
Fixed Application period:
Level 6 Post Graduate Teacher - Typical duration 12 months. Visit TeachinCambs for more details. Application open February to April inline with other ITT providers.
For those schools with nursery settings:
Level 2 Early Years Practitioner – Typical duration 12 months. Early years practitioner / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education suitable for staff who works as part of a professional team ensuring the welfare and care for children under the guidance and supervision of an Early Years Educator, teacher or other suitably qualified professional the Early Years Workforce.
Level 3 Early Years Educator – Typical duration 18 months. Early years educator / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education Suitable for staff who may either be working on their own or supervising others to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by Government for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old
Digital Champion Apprenticeship Programme
This exclusive 15-month apprenticeship programme is fully funded by the apprenticeship levy and has been put together to support schools in developing the expertise of their digital champion.
Through carefully selected modules, Digital Champions will be able to understand and plan for the role of technology within their own schools to:
• Enhance teaching and learning
• Reduce workload
• Support accessibility and inclusion
• Narrow the digital divide
• Support learners on future digital careers so that they can improve outcomes for students and all members of the community
Suitable for Senior Leaders, Heads of Departments, TA’s or Support Staff and Digital Champion Apprentices.
Leadership and Management Apprenticeships
Level 5 Operations or Departmental Manager – Typical duration 30 months Operations or departmental manager / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
Level 6 Chartered Manager – Typical duration 48 months Chartered manager (degree) / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
Level 7 Senior Leader – Typical duration 24 months. (New apprenticeship standard will come into effect 29th March) Senior leader (degree) / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
This list is not exhaustive. To search apprenticeships on offer in UK please go to the Institute of Apprenticeships website
FAQs:
Can an apprentice be of any age?
The government has introduced a number of new reforms to the way that Apprenticeships are offered, managed and provided. Apprenticeships can now be offered to employees of all ages. You can recruit apprentices and/or use apprenticeships for existing members of staff as part of their CPD if an individual needs significant new knowledge and skills which will help them in their role and future progression.
What are the benefits of being an apprentice?
Apprenticeships are structured training programmes that allow you to gain knowledge, skills, qualifications and work experience in your chosen profession whilst earning a salary.
A guide detailing the opportunities and benefits to being an apprentice can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-apprenticeships.
Does the salary of an existing member of staff change whist enrolled onto an apprenticeship?
Salary of existing members of staff are unaffected. Recruited apprentices will be placed onto an apprenticeship salary. CCC apprenticeship pay guidance can be found here
Will an apprentice have to attend college/university one day a week?
Apprenticeships require 20% off the job learning (OTJL) (this is calculated during enrolment dependant on salaried working hours). The apprentice will receive formal training from the contracted provider and this may be conducted virtually, blended or face to face. It does not mean that the apprentice will always have to travel for training and CCC work with providers to minimise the impact travelling can have to the apprentice, costs and environmental impact.
20% OTJL can achieved in several ways (not always away from the workplace):
Formal training
Workplace observations
Study/Research
Assignment writing
Lesson preparations
Visits to relevant industry organisations.
I am not a UK citizen. Am I eligible to enrol onto an apprenticeship?
EEA Citizens
An EEA citizen is eligible for funding if they:
Are a citizen of a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) (including other countries determined to be within the EEA or those with bilateral agreements); and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA (including other countries determined to be within the EEA or those with bilateral agreements) for at least the previous three years on the first day of the apprenticeship.
Nationals of any EU (or EEA) countries who have been ordinarily resident in the EEA (including other countries determined to be within the EEA or those with bilateral agreements) for at least the previous three years before the first day of the 78 apprenticeship must be treated equally to UK residents while the UK remains part of the EU. When the UK is no longer part of the EU, EEA nationals will remain eligible for the full funding year 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021.
Further regulations for other types of immigration status, asylum seekers and rights of abode in the UK can be found at Annex A to this document Apprenticeship Funding rules 2023 to 2024 (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Non EEA Citizens. A non-EEA citizen is eligible for funding if they have permission from the UK government to live in the UK (not for educational purposes), and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.
To make sure your potential apprentice is eligible for levy funding please complete the forms below:
Useful links:
Apprenticeship Guidance for all Schools
Guide to apprenticeships for schools (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Apprenticeships adviser email: apprenticeships@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Apprenticeship Documents
Contact
Donna Hawtin - Learning and Development Advisor (Apprenticeships)
Email: apprenticeships@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01223 706806
Teacher Apprenticeships
Key contact for the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship and Cambridgeshire Paid Teacher Internship Programme: Schools.Recruitment@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
