Employer FAQs

Northern Skills Group provide expert tuition and dedicated support to help find the right Apprentice and training programme for your business. We offer fantastic facilities and have found 88% of employers were satisfied with the relevance of training.

The time it takes your employee to complete their apprenticeship does vary depending on the course chosen. Typically, apprenticeships are a minimum of 12 months.

The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.90 per hour. This rate applies to apprentices under 19 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year of an apprenticeship.

As learners progress and develop their skills within the business, employers often increase this with the average weekly wage for apprentice’s totaling to £170 per week.

Apprentices who are 19 or over and not in the first year of their apprenticeship are entitled to the relevant national minimum wage for their age.

For more information on the national minimum wage entitlements please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/am-i-getting-minimum-wage

Funding may be available to support the cost of your apprentice’s training and their salary. The Northern Skills Group Apprenticeship team are on hand to discuss funding options and support you with eligibility criteria and how you can apply. We also offer free advice and guidance on The Apprenticeship Levy.

In terms of eligibility, individuals are able to undertake an apprenticeship at a higher level than a qualification they currently hold, including any previously completed apprenticeships. They can also undertake an apprenticeship at the same level, or lower level than a qualification they already hold as long as the new apprenticeship allows for new skills to be acquired and the content of the training is materially different from any previous qualification or apprenticeship.

Find out more about the employer funding that is available.

20% off-the-job training is when an apprentice undertakes learning outside of the workplace which leads towards the achievement of their apprenticeship. As an employer, you will support the off the job learning hours by allowing the apprentice time in their contracted working hours to complete guided learning, directed online learning and completion of assignments. All employers must permit 20% of each apprentice’s employed hours to be used for off-the-job training.