Changes to the Apprenticeship funding rules for the academic year 2024-2025
As the UK skills shortage continues to grow, businesses are now, more than ever, needing to be equipped with leading training resources to teach the next generation of UK workers.
Our article surrounding the state of apprenticeships revealed that streamlining the processes for how businesses take on apprentices, and encouraging people to pursue work-based learning, is essential for the future of the UK economy. To hopefully address this, the most recent changes to the apprenticeship funding rules for 2024-2025 have sought to make it easier for young individuals across diverse backgrounds to access training.
Continue reading our article to understand how the updates for 2024-2025 apprenticeships will look to improve the quality, accessibility, and compliance of apprenticeship training in the UK.
Reducing onboarding administration
The 2024-2025 funding rules were updated to include a reduction in the administrative requirements associated with onboarding an apprentice, whilst still ensuring the correct paperwork is completed and their progress is monitored. Onboarding an apprentice and making sure they feel equipped with the knowledge to progress can seem like a time-heavy task, so the new rules have aimed to make this easier through mitigating some of the paperwork and simplifying the process.
Reducing learning support administration
To help reduce the bureaucracy involved with claiming learning support, reviews have now been moved from monthly to quarterly. Learning support assessments are now able to happen at any time during an apprenticeship, which is reported to accommodate the varying learning paces and needs of different apprentices.
Reviewing active learning requirements
An article from Cloud Assess shared an additional beneficial change to administration is the adjustment to the minimum requirements for active learning. This ultimately means that businesses should be less overwhelmed than when training would be prioritised during specific, limited periods of times. For example, if a business front-loaded their apprentice with training, this would now be changed to active learning every 3 months instead.
Introducing new subcontracting
As of the 1st of August 2024, apprenticeship providers were able to use a subcontractor to deliver training to their apprentices. If there are areas that a particular business doesn’t specialise in, the new funding rules enable up to £100,000 to be used on bringing in outside experts to deliver specialist training and assessments. Apprenticeship-centred publication FE Week revealed how the increased budget and greater flexibility in subcontracting arrangements aims to benefit the learning and progression of the apprentices.
Widening English and maths requirements
In the previous rules, the apprenticeship funding had only been available to use for those who had achieved a grade C or above in English and maths. However, the updated 2024-2025 rules are now more flexible and stipulate that anyone who achieved lower than the grades requested, can still apply for apprentice roles. The government website shares how this is to enable those with learning difficulties or disabilities to still be able to access the apprenticeships by studying at a more suitable level of English and maths.
Updating transfer policy
Businesses who pay the apprenticeship levy are now able to transfer up to half of their unused levy to other businesses. Homecare Association supported the positive impacts these changes should have, as the ability to use transfers allows for smaller businesses to fund apprenticeships and deliver invaluable training to their employees. The choice of which business you transfer to is up to you, so you may fund apprenticeships in any sectors, skills or local areas that you wish to receive support.
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