Funded learning - not just for Apprentices!
You might have heard of the Apprenticeship Levy, but do you know what it is and who it’s for? Long story short, it’s a confusing name as it’s actually not just for Apprentices! It’s for ALL employees and it opens access to a huge range of development courses and programmes.
Some useful facts
- All existing employees are eligible for funded learning as long as the programme offers substantial new knowledge while you learn and that you gain vital work experience relevant to your job role and grade.
- Think you’ve got no time to squeeze it in? All learning takes place during usual working hours - this typically requires a minimum of 20% of your working hours throughout the duration of the programme.
- In England there is no upper age limited. In the devolved nations there may be restrictions on what levels you can enrol, and priority given to those seeking employment.
- You can only be enrolled onto one funded programme at any given time.
What programmes are available?
The process is slightly different across England and the devolved nations but there are plenty of options available. Take a look at the links below, watch out for some misleading programme titles e.g. the Level 4 Acoustic Technician is not for musicians, it’s an environmental and engineering programme. And the Mineral products technician isn’t for quarrying but is suited to the Highways Network Inspector role as it has asphalt and concrete pathways within the programme.
- England - 647 programmes with 100 more in development – click here to view
- Scotland - 111 Modern apprenticeships and 14 Graduate Apprenticeships with multiple pathways and different levels within them.
- Wales - 211 programmes with various levels – click here to view
- Northern Ireland - 243 programmes available at different levels click here to view.
How do you apply?
If you are interested in applying to join a programme for your professional development, first have a chat with your people manager and then your L&D Business Partner.