Government understand the increasing pressure on employers to ensure that businesses are supported in the best way through the COVID-19 outbreak. In the latest step to support employers, Government has published guidance relating to apprentices;
- The Apprenticeship Levy remains to be payable – there are no current plans to pause the collection of the Apprenticeship Levy because of Covid-19 disruption.
- The Education and Skills Funding Agency is implementing new measures for the duration of the pandemic.
- Apprentices can be furloughed.
- Furloughed apprentices will have the flexibility to continue their training, as long as it does not provide services to, or generate revenue for, their employer.
- Training providers can deliver training to apprentices remotely and via e-learning.
- End-point assessment arrangements can be modified and carried out remotely where possible. It is important that those who cannot carry out their end-point assessments can be rescheduled.
- Employers and training providers can report and initiate a break in learning in cases where the interruption to learning, due to COVID-19, is for more than 4 weeks. The payment of funding to the training provider will be suspended for the duration of the break in learning.
- In the event that an apprentice is made redundant, Government will aim to find them alternative employment to continue their apprenticeship as quickly as possible within 12 weeks.
See the full guidance here.
Aspire Business Partnership ("Aspire") provide WK1 with practical and commercially sound advice in relation to all aspects of compliance, business strategy and conflict resolution. WK1 engage Aspire on a retained basis through which Aspire provide WK1 with advice on an ad-hoc basis.
https://www.aspirepartnership.co.uk/News/3429/covid-19-guidance-relating-to-apprentices-published
