Step 1: If you haven’t already, register for an account with the Government’s apprenticeship service and find out how the funding works if you are an Apprenticeship Levy-paying organisation or if you are not: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/manage-apprenticeship-funds. Employers with a pay roll over £3m already pay the levy and can access these funds to cover the cost of apprenticeships via the digital service. Those with a pay bill of less than £3m can also access the levy via the service to pay for everything over 5% of the cost of apprenticeship training.

Step 2: Decide what apprenticeship programmes you want to offer and whether you want to offer them to existing employees or potential new recruits. There are a wide range of approved apprenticeship standards on offer (which can all be viewed and selected via the digital apprenticeship service) including the specialist ones we offer in credit, collections, compliance, counter fraud and debt advice. Employers can start with anything from just one apprentice in one department to a whole cohort from across the organisation.

Step 3: Choose a training provider for the relevant programme(s) from those available through the Government portal. It is a good idea to get in touch with training providers to find out more about what they can offer and how they have helped others before making a decision. You can find out all about CSA and what we offer here: https://csa-uk.com/apprenticeships

Step 4: Either advertise the new apprentice position available to potential new recruits (this can be done in a range of ways including on the Government website) or identify existing team members who would benefit and offer them the opportunity. As a trade association and specialist training provider, we can help with this whole process if needed.

Step 5: Work with the chosen training provider to ensure that the programme is tailored to the needs of your organisation and the apprentice and that all the necessary support mechanisms are in place before getting started. The training provider should look after the pre-assessment/on-boarding of the apprentice and offer them comprehensive support before, during and up to completion of the apprenticeship. Some examples of how we’ve helped employers and learners with our tailored approach can be found here: https://www.csa-uk.com/apprenticeship-testimonials