Benefits for your business
By offering your staff free courses or additional free training, you can:
- promote a culture of learning and upskill your employees in their current role or help them progress into higher skilled roles
- improve numeracy, language and digital skills in the workplace
- increase productivity and workforce development
These courses can provide pathways to other training offers and schemes.
Cost
This training is fully funded by the government and there is no cost for you:
- essential digital skills, up to and including level 1
- English and/or maths, up to and including level 2
Level 3 funding
Level 3 courses for jobs can be funded or co-funded by the provider or the learner. You are not expected to pay for Level 3 qualifications for your employees. However, you can voluntarily choose to pay towards it.
Find out who is eligible for free Level 3 courses.
ESOL funding
ESOL courses can be fully funded or co-funded by the provider. If learners are part-funded, they will need to pay the remaining qualification costs themselves.
You are not expected to pay for ESOL qualifications for your employees. However, you can voluntarily choose to pay towards their ESOL qualification.
Your responsibilities
You do not need to provide a placement or training in your workplace for free course learners.
Employees may need time away from work to study and attend classes.
Find out more
Explore schemes
- Apprenticeships
- T Levels: industry placements
- Skills Bootcamps
- Multiply
- Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)
- Free courses and additional free training
- Care Leaver Covenant
- Supported internships for learners with an education, health and care plan
- Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP)
- Employing prisoners and prison leavers