Questions and Answers

For those interested in employing an apprentice

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a mixture of theory and work based learning.

Apprentices work with experienced members of staff to gain on the job skills and attend college to achieve formal qualifications. An apprenticeship is a framework that contains the following elements:

Element One – National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) for example NVQs in customer care, business administration or IT with additional training in employment rights and responsibilities
Element Two - Functional Skills – if the apprentice does not have the required level of literacy, numeracy or IT skills
Element Three – Technical Certificate – for example BTECs and City and Guilds that are taught at Suffolk New College.

Who usually becomes an apprentice?

Usually young people between the ages of 16 and 18 but apprentices can be any age.

What is the aim of the Apprenticeship Scheme?

The aim of the apprenticeship scheme is to:

Provide young people with a way of gaining work experience and NVQ qualifications in the work place rather than at college
Provide employers with a cost-effective way of growing the next generation of skilled staff
Develop the careers of young people in order to maintain the skilled workforce the country needs to run its services.

What sort of jobs are apprentices doing?

A wide variety of jobs including and the list is ever-expanding:

accounting, business administration, customer service, events management
plumbing, brickwork, general maintenance, carpentry and joinery
information technology, digital media and web development
electro-technology, vehicle body and paint operations, maintenance and repair
childcare and support to teaching assistants
beauty therapy, hairdressing, catering, hospitality, sports and leisure management.

If you want to employ an apprentice and your area of work is not listed here, please contact:

Orville Gardener, Vice Principal on 01473 382464
Nika Watt, Programme Leader on 01473 382278
Email: sncapprenticeships@suffolk.ac.uk
Post: Suffolk New College, Ipswich IP4 1LT

What will I have to pay my apprentice?

Between ages 16-18: £95 per week minimum
Over the age of 19: national minimum wage once they have satisfactorily completed the first year of their apprenticeship

Note: apprentices are often paid higher amounts as their skills develop – the rates listed above are the minimum levels of pay.

How is the college side of training an apprentice funded?

Ages 16-18 – you incur no cost because 100% funding is available from the National Apprenticeship Service for training
Over the age of 18 – you incur no cost at the moment but this will change from August 2011.

How long does an apprenticeship take?

Apprenticeships last between one and four years to complete depending on the level of the apprenticeship, the industry sector and the apprentice’s ability.

How do I support my apprentice’s qualifications while working?

Suffolk New College will allocate a training assessor to your apprentice. The training assessor will work with you to:

Decide on the NVQ units
Set assignments for your apprentice and assess them
Agree work experience needed to meet NVQ requirements
Agree the time within the working week you need to allow your apprentice to attend college and undertake NVQ assignments
Organise college courses and agree times your apprentice should attend
Meet with you and your apprentice regularly to check on your apprentice’s progress.

How much time in the working week should I allow my apprentice to do college work?

This needs to be discussed with your apprentice and your Suffolk New College Assessor, taking into account what will work best in your work area for you and your apprentice.

Isn’t there a mountain of paper work?

No! It’s kept to an absolute minimum and Suffolk New College will provide you with support throughout.

Do I get to choose my apprentice?

Yes – it’s just like employing anyone else – you interview them and then you make your choice.

Is the apprentice training carried out at college or in the workplace?

Most of the apprentice training is on the job and the rest is provided at Suffolk New College.

Where can I get advice/support if I need it?

It is part of your Suffolk New College assessor’s job to support you and your apprentice - this includes information about the apprenticeship scheme, help with completing forms and clarification of your role and responsibilities.

NVQ – what do I need to do to support my apprentice’s NVQs?

You will be expected to:

Provide an induction and on the job training as you would with any new employee
Meet with your Suffolk New College training assessor to :
- Agree an individual learning plan for your apprentice
- Decide how your apprentice’s assessments are to be managed
- Ensure that national quality standards are met in delivering all aspects of the NVQ training/experience

Many employers also offer:

Mentoring, coaching and additional training and work experience to support the requirements of the NVQ.

What are the benefits of taking on an apprentice?

Research (January 2009) shows that of those organisations who employ apprentices:

88% believe they lead to a more satisfied workforce
81% say that apprentices make their workplace more productive
83% rely on their apprenticeship programme to provide the skilled workers they need for the future
67% say apprenticeships mean lower recruitment costs

On average an apprentice pays back his/her employers investment in 2.5 years. To get a good return however, it is true that you will need to invest time in developing your young person at the start of his/her career

Apprenticeships are an ideal way to address your skills gaps and provide your business with eager and willing employees who are committed to learning and who quickly become productive team members. In addition taking part in the apprenticeship scheme provides your business with:

A home grown workforce for the future
A fresh boost of enthusiasm in your area of work
An increased productivity for you and your team.

How do Suffolk employers say they benefit from taking on an apprentice?

I wouldn’t be without her – she’s enthusiastic, doesn’t mind what she does, she’s eager and very innovative. She works very well in her team and is especially quick on computers, at working out new ways of doing things – all in all she is a natural problem solver whose growth in confidence is making her more valuable to me by the day. Chrissie Burch, Suffolk District Council, Port Health

Getting younger people in means your workforce is enhanced, they infuse energy into everything they do, they boost the morale of our permanent staff and as a service we are able to deliver more. They are quick to learn, a really useful extra resource and a valuable part of our team. Paul Doe, Customer Service Direct

They are trained by us and Suffolk New College and they obtain good work experience. They bring enthusiasm and energy to our depot and they give my permanent staff the opportunity to teach and mentor. Nigel Daniel, Ipswich Buses

The apprenticeship scheme provides us with a loyal and highly skilled workforce, full of new ideas and ways of working that are both challenging and rewarding. We have seen our business grow and our services to customers develop as a result. Mike Fuller, Fleet Manager Suffolk County Council

We need to take young people on and train them or we will have no one left in a few years because we can’t find people with the skills we need – they’re just not out there. They are very well supervised and the speed with which they pick things up is amazing. The quicker the apprentices develop, the faster the whole company’s pace of work goes. Libby Lapworth, Solus Accident Repair

They are exceptionally good at their jobs here. They are helping me make money. Ken Wells, KW Autos

She is my right hand woman – a real asset to my business. She keeps lots of things ticking over – and she does all the jobs we do – the jobs that no one sees – there is a lot to organise and keep well maintained and our apprentice works with us all to keep those standards high. Ellie Froggatt Bonnets Café and Chocolaterie

Our apprentice questions us – why are we doing things in the way we do, and he makes us think because the answer is often ‘because that’s the way we’ve always done things”. Our apprentice has some really good ideas – he is uncontaminated by our history – and his ideas are very welcome. He’s keeping us on our toes – you can’t have an apprentice and have him/her doing boring paper work. Dom Sanderson, Customer Service Direct

Having an apprentice has brought out the caring side in all of us. We like to help other people especially those right at the beginning of their careers, we enjoy seeing young people learn and develop and I am really impressed with how keen the staff here are for our apprentice to succeed in her career. Chris Simmons, Birketts Solicitors

Why should I choose Suffolk New College as my training provider?

This is what our employers say

For IT apprentices it just couldn’t be better - IDEA is based at Suffolk New College which is fabulous – I wish they had the same set up in Norwich where I would like to take on an apprentice in our offices there – but the system is different. Chris Simmons, Birketts Solicitors

They’ve been brilliant. The college assessor came very early on and we discussed the modules and we designed a development programme that we were all happy with. The college assessor visits often and always has a chat to me. We’ve not had any problems so I have not called on the college to sort anything out and I can’t imagine I will have to, but if I needed support, I know Suffolk New College would be there for me”. Chrissie Burch, Suffolk District Council, Port Health

“The college has sorted out our apprentice’s development plan and I have to say the facilities at the college are fantastic – they are hi-tech and everyone has their own area – out in industry you won’t find many places as good as Suffolk New College”. Ellie Foggart, Bonnets Café and Chocolaterie

I left Suffolk New College as my training provider to try somewhere else but I’ve returned because Suffolk New College is far better - so now I’m an ambassador for the college! My apprentices have got a good assessor – and we have an understanding – they come and talk to me regularly about how my apprentices are getting on and every week my guys show me their portfolios. Ken Wells, KW Autos

They have day release at Suffolk New College every week. They come back with new techniques – which is very much to our advantage. There is a lot to keep up with – the Pass regulations for a start – the apprentices are often ahead of the rest of us because they learn about these and new techniques at Suffolk New College. Libby Lapworth, Solus Accident Repair

Suffolk New College is providing valuable support in helping us manage the recruitment and selection process. The college is also providing the NVQ training framework and helping us assess the progress our apprentices are making. Mike Fuller, Fleet Manager Suffolk County Council

If we need help they point us in the right direction. We have a good relationship and we know the assessors well – if there are any problems we ring them and vice versa. Nigel Daniels, Ipswich Buses

Interested in employing an apprentice?

Please contact:

Orville Gardener, Vice Principal on 01473 382464
Nika Watt, Programme Leader on 01473 382278
Email: sncapprenticeships@suffolk.ac.uk
Post: Suffolk New College, Ipswich IP4 1LT