Apprenticeship Levy courses
We’ve shared with you the free or cheap online resources and the government backed bootcamps in previous posts. Now we thought we should share with you something with slightly more commitment but a great gateway into the tech industry. The apprenticeship levy from the Government is charged to companys with an annual pay bill of £3 million or more – the details for who and when companies have to pay the levy are here. The reasoning behind this is that the government is essentially trying to upskill the workforce to help fill in critical areas with skills shortages, of which one is the tech industry. According to the government website:
“Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of our Plan for Jobs, providing people with an excellent route into some of the best careers and contributing to a high-skill, high-productivity economy.”
What are they about?
The official description is:
Higher apprenticeships go from level 4 to 7 and are equivalent to a foundation degree and above. Degree apprenticeships are available at levels 6 and 7 and are equivalent to a full bachelor’s and Master’s. They combine work with study and may include a work-based, academic or combined qualification or a professional qualification relevant to the industry.
Levels of apprenticeship
Apprenticeships have equivalent educational levels.
| Level | Equivalent educational level | |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate | 2 | GCSE |
| Advanced | 3 | A level |
| Higher | 4,5,6 and 7 | Foundation degree and above |
| Degree | 6 and 7 | Bachelor’s or master’s degree |
Some apprenticeships may also give you an additional qualification, such as a diploma.
Who can start an apprenticeship
To start an apprenticeship, you’ll need to be:
- 16 or over
- living in England
- not in full-time education
You could spend less time training or qualify earlier if you have relevant experience.
This includes having:
- qualifications, such as a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in a relevant subject
- industry or sector experience
- completed training, such as an IT course (online courses are a great example)
You can agree this with your training provider and employer when you start your apprenticeship. Heres some further information – you also need to have english and/or maths to a suitable level, although the trainers are pretty flexible around certification and may just request a basic test to ensure a level of comptence if you don’t have certification. You can check more details on teh government site here: Information on being an apprentice.
Searching through the site we found some examples of currently available apprenticeships in tech:
- Masters Level Data Analysts in Bristol
- HNC Level Data Analyst
- HNC Software Developer
- A Level Carbon Analyst
- HNC Data Analyst in Leeds
So you get the idea – essentially you earn while you learn and although a job at the end isn’t guaranteed it is the most common outcome. There are various companies delivering apprenticeships as well as colleges and universities, some of which have their own industry links.
Testimonials
Rather than waffling on about how you can do an apprenticeship at any age, to various levels and with seemingly random pay we thought you could take a look at some of the testimonials below.
You’ll notice that not all the apprenticeship providers pot on the government website so its always worth having a search around on your local jobs boards also.
Companies wanting to use their Levy
For companies wishing to use their Levy theres also information avaialble on teh government website Information on using the levy as a company
You’ll find Guidance on how to use the apprenticeship service to access funds to pay for apprenticeship training. We also are friendly with an apprenticeship company that can help you set up and find apprenticeships and also with Western Training Provider Network (WTPN) who partner up apprenticeship levy paying companies to smaller companies who can then train up their staff. Contact us on info@wthub.org for details.