Being an Apprentice Employer

At Northumbria we highly value our relationship with all our partners and are immensely proud of the impact our programmes have on apprentices, organisations and the region. This positive impact is only possible through our mutually beneficial collaborative approach.

We believe the role of the employer is vital in the success of an apprenticeship programme and we are here to support you, as well as your apprentice, throughout the learner journey and beyond.

Please see below for further information of the role of the employer in the apprenticeship programme:

Supporting your apprentice to achieve success

• Ensure their job role is directly related to the apprenticeship standard.

• Allow at least 20% of their normal working time as Off-the-Job Training (OJT) over the planned duration of the apprenticeship practical period.

• Provide a workplace mentor who is able to dedicate sufficient time and effort to support the apprentice and can make provisions to ensure they have the best possible chance of success at End-point assessment (EPA).

• Make provision for both workplace mentor and apprentice to attend regular progress review meetings with their University workplace coach.

• Ensure your apprentices are motivated and encouraged to complete their programme through to completion of EPA.

• Understand your responsibilities by reading the employer handbook.

Apprentice or Employer Changes

In order to keep records up to date and avoid funding issues, you must let the University know where a change in circumstances effects the apprentice as soon as possible.

Examples of changes:

• Changes to the apprentice’s contract or working pattern.

• Changes to the apprenticeship duration.

• Break in learning – an apprentice may request to take a break in learning from their apprenticeship if they plan to return to the same programme at a later date.  The reason for the break could include medical treatment, parental leave or leave for other personal reasons.  Your apprentice must discuss this with you and it is expected that the duration of the break will be agreed between the apprentice, you as employer and the University as training provider.  A break in learning must be recorded where there is no plan for any active learning to take place within a calendar month and the training plan updated accordingly.

• Where an apprentice is made redundant, the University is required to make reasonable efforts to find the apprentice a new employer. You or the apprentice must forward their redundancy notice for the evidence pack.

• When an apprentice withdraws from the apprenticeship, i.e. the apprentice is no longer employed by you and has withdrawn from their programme (not redundancy).

• Change in programme where the apprentice starts a new role with the same employer and requires a different apprenticeship programme and the provider remains the same.

More information can be found in the Education and Skills Funding Agency funding rules ‘Change of circumstance’.