Over the years, the purpose and approach of apprenticeships have changed drastically.

Apprenticeships used to be mainly focused on school-leavers going into practical roles like manufacturing, construction, or engineering but now, they are almost unrecognisable - they now work very differently and there are apprenticeships available for almost any role.

This drastic change and redesign has raised a lot of questions and confusion about modern-day apprenticeships so, in today’s Daily Dot article, we will be revealing the answers to 10 of the most common questions to help demystify the new world of apprenticeships.

1. What is a Modern-day Apprenticeship?

Put simply, a modern-day apprenticeship is a long term, work-based, training programme that combines your day-to-day work with training and off-the-job learning. Apprenticeships take a holistic approach, looking to develop you in all aspects of your role. 

2. Who Can Do an Apprenticeship?

Anyone in England aged 16 or over who is currently employed can enrol onto one of our apprenticeships - there is no upper age limit. There are also no entry requirements other than a level 2 (or equivalent) certificate in English and Maths - if you don’t currently have this, it’s not a problem - we will help you work towards these certificates during the apprenticeship.

3. How Long is an Apprenticeship?

The duration of an apprenticeship depends on its level; however, they can range anywhere from 12 months to 24 months.

4. How is the Training Delivered?

Every training provider has their own way of delivering apprenticeships. At Nine Dots, we use a blended approach which combines face-to-face masterclasses, virtual training sessions, and online learning. This approach aims to not only replace the traditional classroom experience but to improve it by allowing more flexibility to suit your and your organisation’s individual needs.

5. Why Should You Opt for a Private Training Provider Instead of a College?

From our experience, we have found that, compared to most colleges, private training providers:

• Have a better concept and understanding of commercial businesses and their needs
• Use less of a school-like approach, making them more suitable for professionals and senior staff
• Are more agile and responsive to your organisation's needs and expectations

6. What Benefits Do Apprenticeships Bring to the Individual?

Apprenticeships bring countless benefits to the individual. First and foremost, apprenticeships allow individuals to enhance their existing career, go in a slightly different direction and change their career, or even launch a completely brand new career. The design process of modern-day apprenticeships was heavily employer-led, ensuring that all of the knowledge, skills and competencies that learners walk away from the programme with are job-specific, up-to-date, and highly relevant - modern-day apprenticeships were created by industry, for industry.

7. How Do Organisations Benefit from Apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships are also a great way for organisations to upskill or reskill their new or existing staff. Not only is there a huge amount of funding available from the government to help cover the cost of the programme (more on this later), there is also a £3,000 incentive for employers who hire an apprentice*. Investing in apprenticeships for their employees shows employers’ commitment to their staff’s development and career progression so not only do apprenticeships improve learners’ effectiveness, efficiency and productivity, they also help motivate staff and get/keep them career-focused.

8. How Does Apprenticeship Funding Work?

Levy-paying organisations (companies with an annual wage bill of over £3million) have to pay 0.5% of their annual wage bill into a levy pot. The funds in this levy pot are then available for the organisation to spend on apprenticeship training for their staff.  This means that they can train their staff at no extra cost as the organisation has to pay into the levy whether they plan to utilise the funds or not.

Organisations have 24 months to spend their levy pot otherwise the funds automatically go to the government so, if you have unspent levy funding and are interested in training, we highly recommend exploring apprenticeships as soon as possible to avoid losing those funds.

Non-levy employers fall into the government's co-investment funding model, meaning that the ESFA provides funding for 95% of the cost of the programme, meaning your organisation only pays 5%. For example, a Level 5 Operational Management Apprenticeship costs £7,000pp but, as a non-levy employer, you are only required to pay £350pp – the remaining £6,650 is funded by the ESFA (this funding comes from unspent levy).

9. What Apprenticeships are Available?

There are hundreds of different apprenticeships at different levels in different industries available. At Nine Dots, we focus on 5 core apprenticeship programmes:

• Level 3 Team Leader
  This apprenticeship aims to help your leaders understand and successfully implement future organisational plans within their teams and support staff through change.
  
  
• Level 5 Operational Manager
  Our Level 5 Operational Manager Apprenticeship gives your managers the ability to craft strategic business plans and gain buy-in from their teams to help keep motivation, morale and productivity high.
  
  
• Level 4 Sales Executive
  This programme prepares your staff for future company or industry-wide changes to give them the awareness and knowledge needed to continue hitting sales targets.
  
  
• Level 3 Customer Service Specialist
  Our Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship enables your staff to provide outstanding customer service by ensuring their company, product and market knowledge is up-to-date.
  
  
• Level 3 Human Resources Support Staff
  This apprenticeship takes a foundational but solid approach to providing your HR staff with an understanding of HR laws and policies, best practices and an overall better approach to HR.

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10. How Can I Apply Myself or for My Staff?

If any of these apprenticeships are of interest to yourself or for your employees, you can contact us by:

• Calling 01332 527 905
• Emailing enquiries@ninedots.co.uk
• Requesting a call from one of our training experts by clicking here

To find out more about any of the 5 apprenticeships detailed above, please click here to download our apprenticeship brochures!

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We hope this has answered all your questions about apprenticeships! If you have any other questions, please get in touch with us and one of our training experts will be happy to help.

Until next time...