Guidance on Apprenticeships

Buttercups Training offers two apprenticeship programmes. Please follow the links for more information about these programmes:

 

  • Pharmacy Services Assistant

https://www.buttercupstraining.co.uk/course/pharmacy-services-assistant-apprenticeship

 

  • Pharmacy Technician Training Programme (Apprenticeship Pathway) to meet the Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) apprenticeship standard
https://www.buttercupstraining.co.uk/course/pharmacy-technician-integrated-apprenticeship

What is the Apprenticeship Levy?

The Apprenticeship Levy is an amount paid by large employers which is used to fund apprenticeship training and assessment

  • The amount paid is at a rate of 0.5% of the employer's annual pay bill
  • Collected monthly by HMRC through the PAYE scheme
  • Unused Levy funds expire after 24 months

 

Who pays into the Apprenticeship Levy?

As an employer, you have to pay Apprenticeship Levy each month if you:

  • Have an annual pay bill of more than £3 million
  • Are connected to any companies or charities for Employment Allowance purposes and have a combined annual pay bill of more than £3 million

 

What is a levy employer?

  • An employer who pays the Apprenticeship Levy
  • A levy employer pays for apprenticeship training through their levy account

 

What is a non-levy employer?

  • An employer who does not pay the Apprenticeship Levy, is defined as a non-levy paying employer
  • A non-levy employer pays 5% towards the overall cost of an apprenticeship programme directly, with the remaining 95% funded by the government

 

WARNING:

If you are unsure whether your organisation pays the Apprenticeship Levy, please discuss this with a member of your finance or payroll team.

 

What is a levy transfer?

Apprenticeships can be funded by a levy paying employer transferring up to 25% of their unused levy to a different employer. Transferred funds are used to pay for 100% of the training and assessment costs of the apprenticeship up to the funding band maximum.

Buttercups Training can facilitate a levy transfer enrolment. If your organisation is in receipt of a levy transfer in order to fund the enrolment, please tick that you are a non-levy employer when completing the initial contact form to ensure the correct process is followed.

Please note, Buttercups Training cannot support employers to find a levy employer to transfer funds.

 

How do I access the funds?

All employers wanting to enrol a candidate onto an apprenticeship programme will need a Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account setting up prior to enrolment.

Full details around how to do this will be provided during the enrolment process, and information can also be found here for levy and non-levy enrolments and here for levy transfer enrolments.

 

Is there any additional support available for hiring an apprentice?

You may be entitled to an additional payment from the government to support your workplace if the apprentice is either:

  • 16 to 18 years old
  • 19 to 25 years old with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  • 19 to 25 years old and they used to be in care of their local authority

Please visit the government website for more information.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/incentive-payments-for-hiring-a-new-apprentice

You can enrol existing members of staff in your organisation on to an apprenticeship programme, they do not need to be new recruits to the organisation.

However, if you are interested in recruiting an apprentice, Buttercups Training can assist you in using the official government service for posting and managing apprenticeships vacancies called Recruit an Apprentice.

Before we are able to upload the vacancy on your behalf, we will also need to establish whether your organisation is suitable to enrol an apprentice, or whether there are other training routes that may be more appropriate for your organisation. This is part of our online employer onboarding process and forms a mandatory part of the enrolment for your future apprentice(s).

To take advantage of this support, please select the option “I want to RECRUIT an apprentice before enrolling them” on our initial contact form found on the relevant apprenticeship programme webpages.

Buttercups Training is proud to work with HEE as one of the recommended training providers for employers who have been awarded funding as part of their Pharmacy Technician Workforce Expansion Project.

Please visit our Pharmacy Technician Training Programme (Apprenticeship Pathway) webpage for details on the programme.

 

HEE specific details

  • Buttercups Training will include accuracy checking into the training plan for the apprentice as standard, providing we are made aware the enrolment is part of the HEE Pharmacy Technician Workforce Development Project.
  • The nominated Workplace Training Supervisor (WTS) would normally be the Educational Supervisor
  • If the WTS does not work alongside the apprentice for 14 hours per week, they have the responsibility to ensure that another pharmacy registrant is acting as a practical supervisor to meet the supervisory requirements during the apprenticeship.

We have dedicated teams for different parts of the process:

  • For initial information and employer onboarding queries, please email enquiries@buttercups.co.uk
  • For learner and workplace training supervisor queries, please email apprenticeships.enrolment@buttercups.co.uk