Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are designed by employers to help apprentices gain the skills and knowledge needed in the workplace.

They are available to new staff and current staff who want to retrain or upskill.

Apprenticeships are available at different levels, starting from a GCSE equivalent to a university degree equivalent. Training can last from 8 months to 5 years, depending on the level.

There are hundreds of apprenticeships to choose from across 15 sectors, ranging from finance and accounting to engineering.

Foundation apprenticeships are also available in construction and the built environment, engineering and manufacturing, digital and health and social care.

Apprenticeships can be progression routes from other courses, for example from Skills Bootcamps or T Levels.

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Benefits for your business
Cost
Your responsibilities
Find out more

Benefits for your business

Apprenticeships can support your business to grow talent and develop a skilled workforce.

Offering an apprenticeship can:

introduce fresh talent and ideas to your business by recruiting new staff and upskilling existing members
align training to your business needs
boost staff loyalty and motivation

Studies show that because of apprenticeships:

80% of employers report higher staff retention
92% of employers see a boost in workforce motivation and satisfaction

The St Martin’s Group study on the benefits of apprenticeships found, that despite associated costs, UK employers see an average annual gain of £2,500 to £18,000 in output per apprentice during their training period.

Cost

You must pay the apprentice minimum wage.

If you’re recruiting an apprentice aged under 25, the government will usually fund 100% of the training costs. For older apprentices, your training costs could be partly covered depending on your business size and the age of the apprentice.

Calculate your estimated training cost funding.

Government funding available

You could be entitled to up to £8,000 of government funding to take on an apprentice.

You can claim more than one of these payments where eligible.

The types of support available from the government are:

£1,000 additional payment, for new or existing employees starting an apprenticeship aged 16 to 18 (or under 25 if a care leaver or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan holder)
£2,000 foundation apprenticeship incentive, for employers hiring foundation apprentices aged 16 to 21 (or under 25 if a care leaver, prison leaver, or an EHC plan holder)
£3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire apprentices aged 18 to 24 who've been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more
£2,000 hiring payment for non-levy employers, for non-levy paying employers hiring a new apprentice aged 16 to 24 from 1 October 2026

Other support

No employer National Insurance contributions on eligible earnings for apprentices under 25.
A £3,000 bursary for care leavers and young people in care under 25.

Your responsibilities

As an apprenticeship employer, you must provide:

an employment contract for the duration of the apprenticeship
on-the-job training
mentoring and supervision
an induction that covers business policies, procedures, and a safe working environment
a signed apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement from the apprentice and the training provider, such as a local college

Find out more

Find out more about hiring an apprentice for your business, or sign up for emails to get advice specific to your industry about taking on your first apprentice.

You can also contact the apprenticeships team.

Contact the Employer Support team

Email: employer.enquiries@education.gov.uk

Telephone: 08000 150 400