Information for Employers

Bring a wealth of knowledge, skills, and fresh thinking into your organisation

At Warwick, degree apprentices can learn from some of the world’s best researchers, while benefiting from our close relationships with significant industry partners, and from the varied perspectives of their peers from other organisations. This collaborative approach to generating ideas and dedicated time to focus, means they can contribute to finding innovative solutions to key challenges facing your organisation. Business challenges will always be present, which is why we will work closely with you to identify contextualised skills and training solutions that meet your ever-changing business environment. We create an individualised learning plan for all our apprentices, which involves the apprentice undertaking an individual project that adds value where you need it.

We pride ourselves on building a close relationship between teachers, degree apprentices and employers, and hold regular review meetings between line manager, apprentice, and the apprentice tutor from their department. These are an opportunity to discuss progress, and to ensure the apprentice is developing skills and understanding that are relevant skills to their working role.

Download Employer's Guide to Degree Apprenticeships Enquiry form

Benefits of hiring an apprentice Apprenticeship Structure Flexible Apprenticeships Funding an apprentice Helping you to hire an Apprentice Employer Stories FAQ's Apprenticeship Subcontracting Policy APTEM

Benefits of hiring an apprentice

Address skills gaps
Attract new talent
Upskill your workforce
Increase productivity
Improve staff retention
Enhance innovation

Our Degree Apprenticeship courses

Flexible apprenticeships

Warwick have contributed to two new manuals, co-authored by Industry and Government, to set out how flexibilities in apprenticeships can be used and delivered in construction and health and social care, to meet the needs of employers and apprentices.
Some employers are already making use of apprenticeship flexibilities and are seeing the benefits of this, in workforce satisfaction, productivity, and improved value for money.

Construction - our Civil and Infrastructure Engineering degree apprenticeship offers block release training, giving apprentices concentrated periods to focus on academic learning and extended periods in the workplace to put new knowledge and skills into practice. There is also flexible learning for more experienced individuals who are able to build on their existing skills and complete more quickly.

Health and Social Care - our Social Work degree apprenticeshipLink opens in a new window offers day release, allowing apprentices to manage their academic study and caseload commitments effectively.

Both offer flexible learning for more experienced individuals who are able to build on their existing skills and complete more quickly.

Helping you to hire an apprentice

We will help you identify minimum educational or experience requirements and establish whether you’d like to upskill your existing workforce or take on new talent. If your ambition is to recruit new talent into the organisation, then we can ensure that your opportunities reach high-calibre candidates.

Our Degree Apprenticeships Team are here to support you through every stage of the process, from recruitment and selection, to guiding you through your contractual responsibilities and enrolling your apprentices onto the degree programme.

We’ll discuss your organisational requirements to ensure that we meet your needs as an employer, in the development of your apprentices to meet the current and future challenges of your business. You will be given a dedicated skills and training expert who will continue to support you throughout the duration of the apprenticeship.

Funding an apprentice

Apprenticeship Levy

The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced by the UK government in April 2017 to fund apprenticeship training and assessment in England. Levy payments can be used to upskill existing staff or recruit new talent and there is no upper age limit.

If you are an employer in England with an annual payroll over £3 million you will pay 0.5 percent on anything over £3 million into the Apprenticeship Levy.

The UK Government provide an annual levy allowance of £15,000 as well as a 10 percent monthly top-up on the funds you pay in, meaning you can get out more than you pay in.The levy is paid to HMRC and the funds are held in the employers Digital Apprenticeship Service account. For more information see the governments guidance.

Funding without the Apprenticeship Levy

If your annual payroll is less than £3 million you will not pay the Apprenticeship Levy but are still eligible for funding.

You will pay 5 percent towards the cost of training with the government funding 95 percent. There is a limit of 10 apprenticeship starts per financial year and you must reserve this funding through your Digital Apprenticeship Service account. For more information see the governments guidance.

Apprenticeship Levy Transfers

Employers that pay the levy can transfer their unused apprenticeship funds to help other organisations pay for apprenticeship training. For further details on how to do this please visit the governments guidance.

If you would like to receive a transfer from another employer, you can search for funding opportunities here.

Additional Government Support

To support the creation of high-quality apprenticeships the Government can offer incentive payments for employers who hire new apprentices. Contact our Apprenticeships Team to check the incentives currently available and if your company is eligible.

For more information visit the Education and Skills Funding Agency guidanceLink opens in a new window.

Apprenticeship structure

Generally, Level 6 degree apprenticeships last between three and five years and Level 7 degree apprenticeships lasts two to three years. The length varies depending on the course.

Apprentices spend 80 percent of their time learning on-the job and the remaining 20 percent training off-the-job studying towards their degree.

On-the-job learning

As apprentices are in full-time employment, most of their training takes place in the workplace. The 80 percent of their time learning on-the-job covers the job specific tasks that the apprentice would complete during their regular working hours.

Off-the-job training

Off-the-job training is defined as learning undertaken outside of an apprentice’s normal working environment, this can include training delivered at the apprentice’s normal place of work but must not be delivered as part of their normal working duties. Off-the-job training must equate to a minimum of 20 percent of the apprentice’s total working hours.

Studies will usually take place through either day release or block release a week at time spread throughout the year, depending on the course. Apprentices will also study using our Virtual Learning Environment meaning they can learn from their home, office or further afield at a time that suits them.

Employer stories

"My experience working with Warwick university has been first class to date. Having worked with several universities and experienced various levels of apprenticeship delivery, I would rank Warwick highly."

Emerging Talent Development Partner, J. Murphy & Sons Limited

"Warwick University have been a brilliant training provider to work with. They have been on hand right from advertising the apprenticeship vacancies, helping to facilitate with interviews and providing excellent support to our apprentices throughout their course".

Apprenticeship Programme Manager, Laing O’Rourke

"We have had a very good experience with the degree apprenticeship programme at the University of Warwick with regards to training for Advanced Critical Care Practitioners with two of our trainees now qualified and two further trainees starting the course. The trainees are well supported throughout. "

Dr Matthew Martin
Consultant - Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine

FAQs

What is an apprenticeship standard? Do I have an eligible role?

To be able to offer an apprenticeship the following rules must apply:

You must have a genuine job and be able to offer an employment contract long enough for the apprentice to successfully complete their apprenticeship
The role must enable the apprentice to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the Apprenticeship Standard
The apprentice must have appropriate support from within the organisation to carry out their job role
A minimum of 20 percent of their time must be spent training off-the-job
The cost of the apprentices’ wage must be met by you

Who is eligible for a Degree Apprenticeship?

To apply for an degree apprenticeship, the government require the apprentice to:

Be at least 18 years old
Have left full time education when the apprenticeship starts
Have the right to work in the UK and ensure any visa is valid for the duration of the whole degree apprenticeship
Have achieved GCSE Mathematics and English at grade 4/C or equivalent before completing the apprenticeship
Meet one of the below residency requirements:

- UK nationals - UK nationals are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the British Overseas Territories, or Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

- UK nationals in the EEA - UK nationals who have been living in the EEA prior to their apprenticeships are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship; or, have been ordinarily resident in a combination of the UK and EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

- EEA nationals in the UK - Irish nationals are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, Ireland, or the EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

- All other EEA nationals are eligible for funding if they have obtained either pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

- Please note there are other residency criteria that cover a range of individual circumstances, for example family members of UK and EEA nationals. Please contact the Apprenticeships Team at if you feel the above points have not covered your situation.

Each apprenticeship will also have specific academic entry requirements set by the University and the employer which you would also need to achieve.

Contact our Apprenticeships Team for further details about the flexibility of these and our other apprenticeship programmes

apprenticeships@warwick.ac.uk