As a Manager offering an apprenticeship you need to:
Pay at least the minimum wage for apprentices – for more information please click here.
Allow the apprentice to complete off-the-job training. Off-the-job training now consists of a minimum of six hours per week – a consistent figure, irrespective of the hours worked by the apprentice.
Employ an apprentice for a minimum of 30 hours to a maximum of 40.
Provide an induction of your department, new recruits will attend ELHT corporate trust induction
Be involved in regular review meetings to keep up to date with the apprentices progress.
How to choose the right apprenticeship training
There are hundreds of apprenticeships to choose from. They offer flexible, but structured training, that meet your needs as an employer.
Apprenticeships are designed by groups of employers so they reflect the knowledge, skills and behaviours an apprentice needs for a specific occupation.
Apprenticeships are being developed and approved all the time, so you can choose the right apprenticeship training for your business.
When looking for an apprenticeship, make sure you:
select the right training to suit your business
think about the level and duration of the training
discuss your expectations with the training provider
For more information regarding the different apprenticeship programmes available, please click here.
Apprenticeship Team
You can contact the apprenticeship team on apprenticeships@elht.nhs.uk to discuss the chosen apprenticeship programme in more detail. Once the chosen programme has been confirmed the apprenticeship team can guide you on the next steps.
For existing staff members: You can request an expression of interest form from the apprenticeship team, this must be completed by you and the staff member who is being enrolled onto the apprenticeship programme. Please ensure that you give evidence on how the programme will support the workforce planning and the skills gap within your department, also how the apprentice will be supported throughout their programme of learning.
New recruits : Please see below.
Advertising an Apprenticeship vacancy
When advertising an Apprenticeship vacancy with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, the Departmental Manager must first contact the Apprenticeship Team to inform them of their request enclosing a job description detailing the requirements for the role.
The managers request will be taken to the monthly apprenticeship strategy meeting where a board of senior members will discuss the request, once approved the recruiting manger will submit the vacancy request to HR which will then be advertised on the ELHT vacancies page and Trac.jobs. If this is the first time recruiting an apprentice and you require support in creating a job description, please contact the apprenticeship team.
Shortlisting and Interview process
It is the responsibility of the recruiting manager to shortlist applicants, support from the apprenticeship team is available upon request. Interviews can be held across sites, once you have appointed a successful candidate and a start date has been agreed, the apprenticeship team must be informed, the apprenticeship team will then contact the relevant training provider to start the enrolment process to commence their programme of learning. Apprentice Pay Apprentices are salaried employees during their apprenticeship. The minimum wage per hour for an apprentice (correct as at April 2023) is £5.28 during the first year of their apprenticeship at any age. If the apprentice has completed the first year of their apprenticeship, they are entitled to the minimum wage for their age:
Under 18 £5.28
Age 18 to 20 £7.49
Age 21 to 22 £10.18
Age 23+ £10.42
In health, many organisations may choose to pay their trainees more than the minimum wage.
Contract of Employment Existing staff: For existing staff looking to commence on an apprenticeship programme, their salary and contract will not be affected. They will continue to fulfil their existing role as well as studying towards their apprenticeship programme. The apprentice must remain complaint with the apprenticeship training contract and must complete their off the job learning.
As part of the enrolment you will be expected to complete the apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement paperwork:
Apprenticeship agreement paperwork
You must sign an apprenticeship agreement with your apprentice. This gives details of:
the skill, trade or occupation the apprentice is being trained for
the name of the apprenticeship they’re working towards
the start and end dates for the apprenticeship
the amount of training you’ll give them
Commitment statement paperwork
You must sign a commitment statement with your apprentice and the training provider. It must include:
the planned content and schedule for training
what is expected and offered by the employer, the training provider and the apprentice
how to resolve queries or complaints
Annual leave entitlement
Apprentices will receive annual leave in line with the with the Trust’s policy amounting to 27 days annual leave and 8 days bank holiday, this is for a full time 5 day a week employee.
Sickness
Apprentices must contact their line manager on their first day of absence. The apprentice can self-certify for 5 working days, after 7 days a signed medical certificate from their GP must be submitted. Apprentices are entitled to sick pay in line with the Trust’s policy.
During apprenticeship programme
Off and on-the-job training: An approved training provider will be selected who will organise and deliver formal off-the-job training for the apprentice/s. Apprentices must spend at least 6 hours of their time on off-the-job training. However, they may need more than this, for example, if they need training in English and math's.
It is up to the employer and training provider to decide how the off-the-job training is delivered. The employer will provide apprentices with the opportunity to practice new skills in the work environment. This is called on-the-job training and helps an apprentice develop the specific skills for the workplace. Apprentices should be supported by a line manager and/or mentor.
Review and pastoral visits
Review meetings: Within the first 10 weeks into the apprenticeship, you will be expected to attend a meeting with the Training provider and the apprentice, the reviews will be held in the apprentice’s workplace or online. The meetings are to set clear expectations for future review meetings and the apprenticeship. From then on, every 10-12 weeks, for the duration of the apprenticeship, you are expected to attend the review meetings. This is to monitor the apprentices progress and ensure development goals are being met. All records of these meetings will be put on the apprentice’s e-portfolio.
Pastoral support: Here at East Lancashire Hospitals, we have an apprenticeship officer whose role is to offer pastoral support to all apprentices within the trust. The apprenticeship officer tracks learners progress by attending both review and tracking meetings with the training provider to gain a greater understanding of the apprentices off-the-job learning and whether the apprentice is on track to completing their apprenticeship in a timely manner. The apprenticeship officer will contact apprentices on a regular basis to offer any additional support this can be on a face-to-face basis, over the phone or online. If you would like to speak with the apprenticeship officer regarding one of your apprentices, you can contact them by emailing - apprenticeships@elht.nhs.uk
End-point assessment:
Once the apprenticeship training is completed, an independent assessment will take place, called an ‘endpoint assessment’. The assessment is the apprentice’s opportunity to demonstrate that they are fully competent in their occupation at the end of their training. The apprentice can’t achieve their apprenticeship without satisfying all the requirements listed in the apprenticeship standard, including the end-point assessment.
Line Manager general considerations
If you have been nominated or have chosen to be an apprentice line manager, what do you need to consider?
• If you have recruited a new apprentice straight out of education, they may have limited experience of what’s expected of them going into their first paid job. Your support and clear direction to help them learn the ropes will be key.
• Apprentices may be doing lots of things for the first time, including receiving their first work phone calls, writing their first work email, sitting in their first work meeting. Help them to prepare and feel confident. For example, you may allow them to shadow you or someone else, you may need to train them and give them feedback in these situations.
• All apprentices will benefit from opportunities to network but may need some help to achieve this. Consider networking opportunities with other apprentices, wider colleagues and relevant industry or professional bodies. - You can ask your apprentice to join the AoA (Association Of Apprentices) here.
• If your newly recruited apprentice is older and more experienced, they might not need as much help as the education-leaver, but they may still be unsure of what’s expected of them.
• Have a read of the apprenticeship standard and become familiar with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that the training covers. The training provider or apprentice will be able to share a copy with you.
• The apprentice will have an apprenticeship agreement and have a contract of employment for a duration suitable to complete the apprenticeship successfully. If you have a HR team, check if there are any other employment arrangements that you need to be aware of that might differ from other staff that you manage.
• At the start of the apprenticeship all three partners (employer, training provider and apprentice) will be required to agree and sign a commitment statement. This statement explains what everyone has to do to make sure the apprenticeship goes to plan. It outlines the responsibilities for each of you. If you are not the employer representative that signs it, make sure you have a copy.
Being a line manager of someone joining your organisation and learning how to be a competent and effective team member is rewarding and may even help you to improve and refine your own management skills. Use it as an opportunity to invest your knowledge and skills in helping to set someone on a great future career path.
For more information, Please contact - apprenticeships@elht.nhs.uk