In England the apprenticeships that we offer are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) who are government owned. This means that you as an employer must contribute very little towards the cost of training.
Funding is allocated differently in Wales, please click here to find out the latest guidance.
In England, funding often depends on two factors, the size of your business and the age of the apprentice you would like to recruit. Please see the tables below to get an indication of what you could be expected to contribute.
Small Employer 0-49 Employees
Is your apprentice 16-18 years old?
Yes - No Contribution required as fully funded through ESFA
No - You will be required to contribute 5% of the total cost for the apprenticeship, price is often determined based on a prospective apprentices’ level of Recognised Prior Learning if applicable.
Medium – Large Employer Non-Levy, 50 Employees or more
Is your apprentice 16-18 years old?
Yes - You will be required to contribute 5% of the total cost for the apprenticeship, price is often determined based on a prospective apprentices’ level of Recognised Prior Learning if applicable.
No - You will be required to contribute 5% of the total cost for the apprenticeship, price is often determined based on a prospective apprentices’ level of Recognised Prior Learning if applicable.
In England, if you take on an apprentice aged 16-18 or a 19+ with additional learning needs you will receive a £1,000 grant from the UK government
The government’s Plan for Jobs scheme is designed to help to stimulate the nation’s economic recovery following the fallout from Covid-19. Under Plan for Jobs, in recognition of the value that apprentices can bring to the economy, an incentive payment of up to £3,000 per apprentice will be made to employers who hire an apprentice between 1 August 2020 and 31 January 2021.
This scheme applies to apprenticeships in England only.
Download our sharable pdf below which outlines the new government funding
If you have a company pay bill of over £3 million then you are required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy. This is a requirement by government and means you must contribute 0.5% of your annual salary bill to taking on apprentices.
For more information on the Levy please visit the government website.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have confirmed a new funding process for small and medium businesses. Employers taking on new apprentices in 2020 will now be required to access government funding for apprenticeships using the gov.uk portal, The Apprenticeship Service (TAS).
We have created step by step guidance to make this process as simple as possible, please watch our video and download the PDF just below.
ESFA Funding process guidance PDF
Watch our short step by step video below.
View and download our handy guides below and our FAQ’s may clarify apprenticeship funding further.
A guide to apprenticeship funding rules