What is an Apprenticeship? Thousands of businesses are benefiting from taking on apprentices and / or supporting their existing employees develop new skills through an Apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are nationally recognised, work based training programmes which allow you to bring new talent through the ranks and to train existing employees with the skills they need to help your business succeed. Apprenticeships combine on the job training with study, to ensure your employees develop the key skills and knowledge needed by your industry. They can help: − grow your business and solve recruitment challenges. − breed creativity and enthusiasm with new talent, or retain and upskill current staff. − provide training that’s tailored to the needs and requirements of your business – learning can even be done in your workplace, minimising disruption and maximising impact.
How will letting my staff undertake an Apprenticeship benefit my company? Apprenticeships are a productive and effective way for you to grow your own talent by developing a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Apprenticeships contribute towards: – improving productivity in the workplace. – increasing employee satisfaction. – reducing staff turnover. – reducing recruitment costs.
What training is available? We offer Apprenticeships in a wide variety of subjects including Furniture Occupations & Upholstery, Business Administration, Customer Service, Digital IT Support, Catering & Hospitality, Digital Marketing, Lean Manufacturing, Warehousing, Team Leading, Management, Coaching and Retail. We also offer a variety of commercial courses including Health &Safety, Personal Licence Holder, Food Safety and more.
What are the costs? Depending upon the size of your company and Apprenticeship area chosen, training costs will differ. As apprentices are employees of your company, you are responsible for paying your apprentice’s wage. You must pay at least the Apprenticeship minimum wage and can find out more by clicking here. The Apprenticeship minimum wage relates to apprentices aged 16 to 18 or aged 19 and above in the first year of their Apprenticeship. To find out more about Apprenticeship training costs, visit our Apprenticeship Funding page by clicking here. Further details of our commercial courses are available by clicking here.
How does NLTG support the personal and professional development of learners? At NLTG we use a range of resources to support the personal and professional development of our learners, a number of these are created by our own experts, alongside other existing external resources. Below are just a few of the external information sources learners may access (please click on the image to be re-directed to the relevant website). The National Careers Service is a government led organisation that offers careers information, advice and guidance. They give access to useful resources to help individuals make informed choices on their short and long term career goals. Barclays LifeSkills is a free employability and financial education programme aimed at unlocking skills opportunities for learners of all ages. It is accessed through educators, organisations, families or directly, as well as specialist charity partners who work in under-represented communities providing tailored support. Prospects are the experts in graduate careers. They help to guide students, graduates and employees to a bright future with tailored information, advice and opportunities. BBC Bitesize Careers helps individuals decide what to study, plan their future career or if they just want to expand their knowledge about the world of work. This website provides information regarding personal relationships and where to access further advice.
What is required of me? If you employ an apprentice or choose to up-skill your workforce via Apprenticeships, there are some things you need to have in place. NLTG will support you through this process, with advice on the specific requirements, such as Health & Safety. To find out more, please download our Employer Handbook. As an employer you will need to ensure your apprentices: • are employed in a real job that gives them the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to pass their assessment. • are paid at least the minimum wage and have a contract of employment. • work towards an approved Apprenticeship Standard. Their training must last at least 12 months. • are paid for time spent training or studying for their Apprenticeship, whether at work or at a training provider. • have the same conditions as other employees working at similar grades or in similar roles. This includes: paid holidays; sick pay; any benefits you offer such as childcare voucher schemes; any support you offer such as coaching or mentoring.
Where can I find help and advice about employment, Safeguarding and Prevent? NLTG’s ‘Prevent Leaflet for Employers’ is available for download from the publications section of this website by clicking the image below. The following websites provide a range of information and advice. Simply click on the logo to access the relevant information. Access the ACAS website for employment information and advice. The NSPCC provides a range of advice and information about safeguarding and radicalisation. The CIPD website provides a range of mental health tips for managers. Access information on creating a Safeguarding Policy and download an example template that can be adapted to suit your organisation. Access NLTG’s ‘Safeguarding for Employers’ information leaflet here. Click the image opposite to access a short video about Prevent. Training in Safeguarding and Prevent is available from the following websites. Simply click on the relevant image to access the site. Prevent Duty – a free e-learning course to gain a greater understanding of Prevent and Channel. ProtectUK: ACT Awareness – Counter terrorism advice for employers with a range of e-learning courses. Prevent Risk Assessment – this site has a range of templates that can be adapted to suit your business. Safeguarding – access a range of comprehensive Safeguarding training courses. This website provides a range of free Safeguarding courses along with a number of other resources.
Where can I signpost learners who may need additional support? In addition to support from NLTG Tutors and our Safeguarding Team, your Apprentice / Learner has access to a key number of sites that they may find useful depending on the situation. Below is an example of the landing page they can access via the NLTG Learning Hub. To support your understanding of the various sites, we have also provided the same links below, which you may wish to review / go through with your apprentice / learner in order to signpost them appropriately and to provide suitable support, as soon as possible. The specific sites offering help and support are listed below. Please click on the relevant images to access the site. This website is specifically dedicated to educating learners about being safe online and what to do if something goes wrong. This site provides Apprentices / Learners with a greater understanding of what is, and what is not, a healthy relationship. WHYSUP is a local organisation within the Lancashire / Manchester area providing real life experience and guidance for Apprentices / Learners on an array of issues. This site specifically focuses on the prevention of suicide. This is the Government’s dedicated Prevent website, providing education resources, information and links to provide an understand of the Prevent Duty and how to comply with it. The Hub of Hope is a really useful website for an Apprentice / Learner to find the most local support in their area, by entering their postcode and stating what type of help they are seeking. ACAS is the Government organisation for both employers and Apprentices / Learners if they are looking for employment advice which is free, impartial and accessible via email or phone. The Mix is a dedicated support site for Apprentices / Learners under the age of 25, offering a variety of contact methods which may be more preferable to learners, ie texting and online chats (including other typical methods such as support via phone). This organisation specifically focuses on an array of Mental Health conditions. Similar to Papyrus, this site offers a wider array of support in a number of areas. This Government site focuses more on education for a number of audiences, signposting to Government approved support services and content, along with other general advice. The following reporting tools / sites are also available to our Apprentices and Learners. In addition to reaching out to an NLTG Tutor in cases of a safeguarding concern, your Apprentice / Learner can also report a concern via our Learning Hub by clicking on the tile shown opposite and completing a report form. One of our Safeguarding Team will respond to the report within 24 – 48 hours. (Please note, this facility can only be accessed via the NLTG Learning Hub itself). This link in the NLTG Learning Hub provides a reporting mechanism for learners to raise Prevent concerns to NLTG’s Safeguarding Team. (Please note, this facility can only be accessed via the NLTG Learning Hub itself). This site is dedicated to the reporting of online sexual abuse. Please click on the image opposite to access this site. This site is an extension of the one above and provides more reporting methods, support relating to unwanted content, along with other general advice. Please click on the image opposite to access this site. NLTG Apprentices / Learners study a number of topics on a frequent basis, all available via the NLTG Learning Hub. These are accessible within the ‘SEW’ (Safe, Equal & Well) tile on the Hub, which also provides access to historical topics, ie Gambling, Equality & Diversity, Sex and Sexual Orientation. (Please note, this facility can only be accessed via the NLTG Learning Hub itself).
