Recruit & Upskill
Suitable Workforce
An Apprenticeship is a great way to employ or upskill your employees.
You can gain a competitive advantage by employing the right people for your business, which helps with the sustainability and success of your business.
Hiring apprentices can be more cost-effective than hiring skilled employees, and the overall recruitment and training costs are lower.
Working with our partners, MITSkills has successfully placed thousands of apprentices with hundreds of different employers.
Over time we built an acclaimed network of employers and learners which allows us to draw from a large talent pool, giving us the experience to identify the needs of an employer as well as the criteria a prospective apprentice would need to succeed within your business.
How We Can Help
If you’re interested in employing an apprentice, our recruitment process is as follows:
- Identifying your exact needs as an employer
- Relating your requirements to an Apprenticeship Framework or Standard
- Advertising your vacancy on our website, other recruitment websites, National Apprenticeship Service website, through our HUB partners, and connections with schools and colleges
- Selecting prospective candidates, through a rigorous interview process
- Presenting selected candidates to you
We can help you get started, support your organisation throughout the whole process, enabling you to get on with running your business.
Alternatively, if you’re seeking to upskill your existing staff, we can develop bespoke programmes and private courses tailored to suit your specific needs.
In partnership with your local community, we are capable and highly skilled at recruiting suitable candidates that meet your unique requirements.
Working with other training providers, we offer apprenticeships leading to nationally recognised qualifications. All our available courses are listed here.
The government fully funds courses for 16 to 18-year-olds and for apprentices aged over 19 years old, a small contribution is required payable by the small employer in instalments.
Apprenticeship Levy Payers
The national apprenticeship programme introduced the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, to fund 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020.
The apprenticeship levy is charged at 0.5% of the organisation’s payroll payable through the PAYE along with income tax and national insurance contributions.
Organisations will be exempt from the first £15k of the levy, which translates to the levy only being charged for payrolls in excess of £3 million per year.
Employers pay the levy through HMRC, through the PAYE process alongside the regular tax and NICs.
The levy payment will be deducted from your corporation tax contributions.
If you contribute to an existing industry training levy, you will still be required to pay the new apprenticeship levy.
Once you have declared the levy to HMRC, you’ll be able to access funding through the new digital apprenticeship service account.
The cost of an apprentice is spread over the duration of the apprenticeship training. The payments for the training will be taken directly from the digital apprenticeship service account monthly.
In 2020 the Department of Education (DoE) changed the way that employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy arrange their apprenticeships.
The govenment has moved away from the use of Government-procured contracts for apprenticeship training to a system in which employers will select an apprenticeship standard, choose their training provider and secure access to funding for all new apprenticeships through the digital apprenticeship service.
Contact us to discuss your specific circumstances and what you might expect to pay.
If you are required to contribute to the levy, you are allocated digital vouchers to fund the training of your apprentices.
The voucher system will only apply in England, and you have between 18 and 24 months to use the vouchers.
If you wish to invest more in apprentices, the government is considering a further ‘top-up’ support system.
The idea is that employers who commit to employing apprentices will be able to draw more from the levy than they contribute, through the ‘top-up’ payment system.
Further Information
- There is an updated guide for employers how to pay the levy
- If you are a levy paying employer, you can register for the apprenticeship service to manage your apprenticeship programme.
- Create and account to manage apprenticeships
Apprenticeship funding currently takes into account a variety of elements based on the apprentice. As of April 2017, this changed and all funding is based on the apprenticeship framework and will not change, regardless of the apprentice’s age, geographical location or prior qualifications, which means you have better opportunity to hire individuals who meet your business needs.
To discuss the banding of all apprenticeships, contact our Levy Management team.
Questions & Answers
Is there a lot of paperwork?
Apprenticeships do not require much paperwork from the employer unless you are delivering the training yourself.
We will help you with all the relevant documents throughout the time of the programme.
How much do i pay an apprentice?
You can find out more about the minimum wage for an apprentice here, which also gives guidance on pension, DBS checks and more.
There are only 1-3 people here, is that too small for a trainee?
No, it isn’t. We have many small employers who have successfully employed an apprentice in the past or that are presently employing apprentices who we are supporting through their learning period.
What if I cannot find anyone suitable for my apprenticeship?
We will advise you on how to attract more people to your apprenticeship vacancy. If you find someone who you might want to take on, but feel they are not quite job-ready, then a Traineeship may provide the answer.
Why should I use MITSkills?
We have a wealth of experience in many sectors of industry.
We offer an extremely flexible and cost-effective solution to employing an apprentice and give the backup and support required to meet our mutual objectives.
What happens at the end of the apprenticeship?
The end of an apprenticeship is an excellent achievement for both you and the apprentice and should be celebrated.
After a year or more of training, most people will be hungry for more knowledge and will need to continue to develop.
They have the potential to go further with your guidance and support, and they often become key employees.
What happens if my apprentice leaves before the end of the apprenticeship?
We will help the apprentice to complete their apprenticeship elsewhere and find you a replacement.
What about insurance?
As part of our normal process, we check that your organisation has suitable Employers’ Liability Insurance in place.