Apprenticeship

A formal work-based learning programme. This will be a paid job with formal work-based training and learning.

It will take place over a variable period of time, depending upon the type of apprenticeship. Apprenticeships can be for a minimum of one-year; but will typically be two to three years, up to five years in length.

• The Joint Council for Golf Greenkeeper Apprenticeship scheme was created in Scotland in 1963.
• The 1964 Industrial Training Act created Industry Training Boards with an aim to improve the Apprenticeship system.
• Modern Apprenticeships were announced by Kenneth Clarke in November 1993.
• The Modern Apprenticeship Framework was introduced in 1994 and was fully available from September 1995.
• Modern Apprenticeships became known as Advanced Modern Apprenticeships, whilst the former National Traineeships became known as Foundation Modern Apprenticeships.
• Early 2000s saw the introduction of National Apprenticeship Frameworks.
• In 2004 the Advanced Modern Apprenticeships became the Advanced Apprenticeship, whilst the Foundation Modern Apprenticeship became the Apprenticeship (later renamed the Intermediate Apprenticeship).
• The first National Apprenticeship Week was in 2007.
• The National Apprenticeship Service was formed in 2009.
• Higher Apprenticeships were introduced in 2010.
• New Apprenticeship Standards introduced in 2013.
• The Apprenticeship Framework ceased to exist in 2021. However, learners who had already started on the framework had until 2025 to complete their apprenticeship.

An apprenticeship, in England, currently (July 2021) involves becoming an employee, working with experienced staff, being paid a wage (which must be at least the National Minimum Wage), learning new job specific skills and knowledge through combining work with study, getting ‘off the job’ training (which must be at least 20% of an individual’s normal working hours). The minimum age for an apprentice is 16, whilst there is no upper age limit. In addition, an apprentice doesn’t have to be a new employee but can be an existing employee gaining new skills and knowledge to fulfil the desired job role.

An employer in a small business will only have to contribute 5% of the apprentice training costs with the Government funding the remaining 95%, up to the maximum funding band for a stated apprenticeship. For large employers (i.e. those with a pay bill of more than £3 Million per year) they will receive funding, plus 10%, from a levy fund which they have mandatorily paid into. The amount they have to pay into the levy is calculated as 0.5% of their annual pay bill, so for example an employer with a £4 Million annual pay bill will have contributed £20,000 into the levy fund.

An employer must also make an apprenticeship agreement (between employer and apprentice) and a commitment statement (between the employer, apprentice and training organisation).

A brief historical overview of Apprenticeships
"The history of apprenticeships in England goes back to the Middle Ages. One of the first documents attempting to set out the terms and conditions for training was the Elizabethan Statute of Artificers in 1563. From this early formalisation of the master-apprentice relationship, the apprenticeship grew over the centuries. By the late nineteenth century, the scope of apprenticeships had spread from what was (at the time) more traditional trades such as construction, paper-making and printing to encompass emerging sectors such as engineering and shipbuilding."

"In 1994, the Government responded to concerns about skills shortages in the UK by announcing plans for a new apprenticeship scheme. Several elements of the 'Modern Apprenticeship' have since been reformed, but a focus on occupational competence has been a central theme."
(Source: ‘A brief history of apprenticeships', accessed 27/11/2021, Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0)