When you’re ready to hire an apprentice there are a few key steps you need to take.

These include:

• Choosing apprenticeship training to suit an identified job role(s)
• Finding and selecting an organisation that offers training for that apprenticeship
• Checking what funding is available to cover training costs
• Advertising your apprenticeship (your training organisation can do this for you free of charge)
• Selecting your apprentice

Once you are certain you want to hire an apprentice, or train existing members of your workforce, contact us or the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth Hub. We can guide you through each of these steps at no cost to you.

Finding the right apprenticeship

There are hundreds of different Apprenticeships available with new ones being added all the time. We can help you to find the right apprenticeship to meet your organisational needs.

You can search for all available apprenticeships on the government’s Find Apprenticeship Training website, or you can view our helpful list of local training providers.

When you’re looking for an apprenticeship, try to:

• Speak to more than one training provider to discuss what they can offer you
• Select the right training for your organisation which delivers what you need
• Identify someone within your organisation who will mentor your apprentice and meet with your training provider to discuss their progress and training plan

It is up to the training provider and employer to agree how the training is delivered. It may include day release, block release, on-site training delivery, online learning or a blended approach. 

Choosing a training provider

You will need to choose a training provider to train your apprentice. You can have more than one training provider if you have more than one apprentice.

The Find Apprenticeship Training website will help you search for a provider by location, job role or keyword. There is also our list of local providers to help you.

Your training provider can provide you with as much help and support as you need when you take on an apprentice.

Your training provider will also be able to help with:

• Finding the right apprenticeship for you and recruitment of your apprentice 
• Preparing your apprentice for your organisation and help to ensure they are working safely
• Finding the right pace of learning for your apprentice and monitoring their progress
• Working with you to make sure your apprentice is learning relevant skills, knowledge and behaviours
• Help your apprentice progress to other training once they've completed their training

Your responsibilities as an employer

There must be a paid job available with a contract of employment, long enough for an apprentice to complete their apprenticeship.

You need to pay the apprentice a salary that doesn’t go below the minimum wage.

Your apprentice should:

• Work with experienced staff
• Learn job-specific skills
• Spend 20% of their apprenticeship on off the job learning activity
• Receive appropriate mentoring and supervision   

The employer must support the apprentice to gain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to gain their apprenticeship.