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Hire An Apprentice

Finding the right apprentice for your company can be a daunting task. Here at the Windsor Forest Colleges Group, we help smooth the path and ensure that you employ motivated, work-ready apprentices that will enhance your business.

Hair and Beauty apprentice

What are Apprenticeships?

Hiring an apprentice can help you grow your own talent by developing a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Apprenticeships are available to businesses of all sizes and sectors in the UK, and can last anywhere from 12 months to five years.

As an employer, you will be involved at every stage of the recruitment, planning and delivery of the training programme, and many apprenticeship programmes can be adapted to suit the individual needs of your business.

How are Apprenticeships Funded?

Apprenticeships are funded in a number of ways depending on the size of your business and whether you are required to contribute to the Apprenticeship Levy.

To be eligible for funding, apprentices must be employed on a normal contract of employment and must have 20% off-the-job training. Part-time employees with contracts between 16 -30 hours are still eligible, but the length of the apprenticeship will vary depending on the level and contracted hours.

Levy Payers

These are organisations with a payroll of over £3 million who are required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

These organisations are not required to pay the Levy and can access funding to support their training.

Employer Incentives

A number of incentives are available for those recruiting people from disadvantaged groups.

Which colleges run Apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships are delivered at both Slough & Langley College and BCA. Both colleges have a long history of delivering apprenticeships in their specialist areas and have extensive links with employers and local schools for recruitment.

BCA, Hall Place
Langley College

Employers – Frequently Asked Questions

An apprentice:

  • Can be anyone at any age
  • Works alongside an experienced employee to learn specific skills
  • Receives training – including training towards nationally recognised qualifications such as NVQs
  • Earns a salary
  • Gets paid holiday

Apprenticeships can also be used to develop current employees, but employers may need to make a contribution towards the costs of their training, depending on the age of the employee.

There are a number of benefits to having an apprenticeship scheme. These include:

  • Almost 90% of employers that take on an apprentice report benefits to the business
  • Support young people and residents in the local community
  • Gain skilled qualified staff in a cost-effective way
  • Ensure that your staff have up-to-date training and qualifications
  • Ensure that your business is up-to-date with industry standards
  • Address skill shortages

We provide a free apprenticeship recruitment service. We will help you advertise and pre-screen candidates on your behalf, and provide you with a list of candidates to interview via your own recruitment process.

This depends on the apprenticeship. All the training can be in the workplace, but some frameworks require day release or block release at college and others are a combination of attendance at college and assessment within the workplace.

Find out More

Talk to our professional team who will be happy to take you through the whole process.