Taking on an Apprentice

Taking on an

Apprentice

BALI is committed to supporting the landscape industry in addressing the skills gaps and shortages.

To this end we have produced a brief report to support employers who are considering taking on a landscape apprentice to show the options that are available.

What is an apprenticeship?

It’s a work - based training programme that combines on the job training with a nationally recognised qualification. A landscape apprentice needs to be aged 16 or over and can be a new or current employee who is living in the UK and not in full time education.

Employing an apprentice can bring many benefits to your business:

It can be a cost-effective way of recruiting and training a new member of staff

They can be trained specifically to fill skills gaps in your business

You gain an employee that is loyal and committed to your business

The apprenticeship lasts between a minimum of 12 months to 24 months depending on the level.

The Government will help you finance an apprenticeship. This is dependent on whether you have to pay the Apprenticeship levy, which applies to all businesses that have a wage bill over £3 million a year (see below).

If you are below the levy threshold and employ more than 50 people, then you pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing your apprentice. This will be done through agreeing a payment schedule with the training organisation and paying them directly.

If your organisation has below 50 employees, the Government will 100% fund 16-18 year old apprentices. 19-24 year old with an Education Health Care plan (EHC) plan means you will have to pay 5%.

There is an incentive payment of £1,000 for each 16-18 year old apprentice or 19-24 year old with an EHC plan.

All UK businesses with a pay bill over £3 million will have to pay 0.5% of that bill. The annual wage bill is calculated as all payments to employees that are subject to employer Class 1 Secondary National Insurance Contributions (NIC’s), this includes wages, bonuses and commissions.

Employers will receive a £15,000 fixed annual allowance (not a cash payment) to offset against the levy payment.

Example of levy bill
Employer of 100 employees, each with a gross salary of £20,000, would pay: 100 x £20,000 = £2,000,000 Levy sum: 0.5% x £2,000,000 = £10,000 Allowance: £10,000 - £15,000 = £0 annual levy payment.

This levy is put into an account that employers can then use (the government adds an extra 10% in England) to spend on apprenticeship training.

Companies will then have 24 months to make use of their apprenticeship funds.

As an employer you will be responsible for paying the employee’s wage.

The current minimum wage for all apprentices in their first year is £3.90, this goes up in their second year in line with the national minimum wage to:

Under 18 £4.62
18-20 £6.56
21-22 £8.36
Over 23 £8.91

National Minimum Wage Rates

Provide holiday pay, a minimum of 20 days + bank holidays
Allow your apprentice to spend at least 20% of their working hours on off-the-job training

In terms of your apprentices training, you can choose their level and subject.

Apprenticeship standards - these have replaced the older frameworks, with each standard covering a specific occupation that sets out the core skills, knowledge and behaviours an apprentice will need; they are developed by employer groups known as ‘trailblazers’, with a focus to provide the skills and training that employers and industry are looking for.

For horticulture – there is the choice between a Level 2 Operative or Level 3 Supervisor apprenticeship, with a Level 5 Manager apprenticeship in development.

Level 2 Horticulture or landscape Operative typically lasts 18-24 months with a funding band of £5000 per apprentice.

Level 3 Horticulture or landscape Supervisor typically lasts 24-36 months with a funding band of £8000 per apprentice.

Once you have selected the apprenticeship and discipline (horticulture or landscaping) you want your apprentice to undertake, choose a training provider in your locality.

There are a number of BALI members that are registered training providers and run the appropriate qualifications, please visit bali.org.uk to find one local to you.