Please contact Esmay Bear, Staff Apprenticeship Lead, on apprenticeships@qmul.ac.uk with any queries about recruiting apprentices.

Benefits of recruiting apprentices:

Apprenticeship contracts

Apprenticeship costs

Steps to recruiting an apprentice

Benefits of recruiting apprentices:

• Address skills gaps: Develop the skills and competencies your team is missing and shape your future workforce. 
• Attract and retain: Offering a qualification during the recruitment process can encourage applications for hard-to-recruit posts. Due to the breadth of qualifications and levels, apprenticeships can be utilised for senior positions as well as early career routes. Consider all vacant and new posts as possible apprenticeships. 

• Embedding a learning culture: An apprenticeship provides a good opportunity for learning and application of new Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours. In addition, apprenticeships will provide others with the opportunity to mentor and pass on crucial knowledge. 
• Diversify the workforce: Apprenticeships can provide access to opportunities based on development potential rather than prior experience. 

Apprenticeship contracts

Recruited apprentice contracts are normally fixed term. Apprentices must be issued contracts which are long enough to complete the training and final end point assessment which will be determined by the chosen apprenticeship standard. 

At the end of the apprenticeship, it is hoped that onward posts will be made available for the apprentice to apply for as an internal applicant, however, the future budget may not be known at the time of apprenticeship creation and is therefore not mandatory. 

What is the cost of recruiting an apprentice?

There are two main costs to hiring an apprentice:  

1. Qualification costs and training fees. 

Apprenticeship qualifications are funded centrally via the Queen Mary Apprenticeship Levy. This is managed by the Staff Apprenticeship Lead and paid directly to approved training providers. There will be no cost to your budget, except for any exam re-sits, professional memberships or where specific items, for example, software or uniforms are needed. 

1. Salary costs  

The apprentice’s salary must be funded from your departmental budget like any other role. Queen Mary Policy is generally to grade apprentice posts at the grade below the aspirational post and appoint at the bottom of the scale. The aspirational post is the job that the apprentice will be working towards by gaining the knowledge skills and behaviours. 

We pay all apprentices in line with Queen Mary salaries, which will be above the London Living Wage. 
 

Apprentices have the same employment rights and conditions as other employees including their annual leave entitlement, inclusion in the pension scheme, etc. 

You will not have to pay employer National Insurance Contributions for apprentices under 25. 

Steps to recruiting an apprentice.

Recruiting an apprentice follows all the usual steps to recruit any member of staff, with some additional points:

1. Identify the skills gap or vacancy that you would like to fill and the salary budget.
2. Find an Apprenticeship Standard that would support this workforce need. The Staff Apprenticeship Lead can support you with this, but it is helpful for you to have an initial check.
3. Speak to the Staff Apprenticeship Lead who will advise on timelines and check that training provision is available to meet your need. Time may be needed to procure a training provider if this has not already been done.
4. Draft a job profile and advert using the specific apprenticeship templates
5. Send this for grading.
6. Once it has been graded, it can be escalated through the Igrasp process for advert

Application form / CV

It is advisable that apprenticeship applications do not ask for a CV and use the application form only. This is to ensure a fair process for younger or less experienced applicants. There are specific questions that can be added to the application form.

Shortlisting:

When the advert closes, the Staff Apprenticeship Lead will check the applicant's eligibility for ESFA Levy funding and liaise with the training provider if necessary. The hiring manager will proceed with shortlisting as usual.

Interview

The panel should attend the ‘Recruitment and Selection’ training. 

The Staff Apprenticeship Lead does not usually sit on interview panels, however can suggest questions or co-ordinate other apprenticeship champions from across the organisation to support this if required. The hiring manager will be responsible for designing and arranging the interview.