Apprenticeships - Employers

Highbury College Portsmouth is one of the largest providers of Apprenticeship training in Hampshire and the South East. We offer nearly 50 Apprenticeships, from Accounting to Wall & Floor Tiling. Click here if you are a student wanting to complete an Apprenticeship.

The following Apprenticeships are available:

Why take on an Apprentice?

Apprenticeships offer businesses a cost-effective route to harness fresh talent. Apprentices can help your organisation to increase productivity, improve competitiveness and ensure you have a committed and competent workforce to meet future challenges.

What does an Apprenticeship involve?

Apprenticeships are structured programmes, but Highbury can be flexible in the options and pathways Apprentices follow dependent on the work role they are in. In most cases, Apprentices can start at any time of year.

Employers and individuals can choose from three types of Apprenticeship - Intermediate (Level 2), Advanced (Level 3) and Higher (Levels 4/5).

All Apprenticeships include knowledge (theory) and competence (practical) elements that are relevant to a student's work. This ensures that students gain the skills and knowledge employers need. In addition, students complete transferable skills qualifications (Functional Skills) in literacy, numeracy and sometimes IT. Students will also study employment rights and responsibilities (ERR) and develop their personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS).

In addition to this, micro-businesses can now agree with Highbury to add one or two broader business skills units for each new apprentice in areas including Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Law and Human Resource Management, at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5. This additional support recognises that apprentices working in the smallest organisations are often required to work in a wider range of functions.

How much does an Apprenticeship cost?

The government provides the funds to cover the full cost of the mandatory elements of the Apprenticeship framework for all 16-18 year olds. Therefore there are no fees. However, government funding is reduced for Apprentices aged 19+, and a fee is payable by the employer to complete the Apprenticeship framework.

Grants and eligibility

40,000 grants are available for SMEs and businesses of up to 1,000 employees in the Government's new Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE). As an employer, you will receive up to £1,500 once the individual has completed 13 weeks of their Apprenticeship programme and you can claim this incentive for up to 10 apprentices.

What can Highbury do for you?

Highbury College can assist you with the whole apprenticeship recruitment process. Our team will:

Set up a meeting with one of our expert Business Advisers
Agree the job description, wage and Apprenticeship programme with you
Advertise the vacancy FREE of charge
Match your vacancy to current students that would like to take up an Apprenticeship position
Filter out all unsuitable applications so you only receive the most appropriate ones
Ensure candidates have the right English, Maths and IT skills
Pre-apprenticeship programme to help entrants prepare for an Apprenticeship

In addition, we carry out a Health & Safety check at your workplace if you are a new employer to us. Throughout the Apprenticeship we will support you and your Apprentice and offer appropriate advice and guidance on the next steps when your Apprentice has completed his or her course.

Five key points about Apprenticeships

1. Apprentices must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours by the company they work for.

2. College attendance is either day, evening or block release, depending on the occupational area. In some cases Apprenticeships are entirely work-based.

3. Apprentices are individually monitored and supported through their Apprenticeship programme.

4. The length of the programme ranges from a year to four years, depending on the type of Apprenticeship taken and the motivation and enthusiasm of the apprentice.

5. All Apprenticeship employers will be assigned a named Account Manager. A health and safety check will be carried out by Highbury College before we can accept a new employer.

For more information about Apprenticeships and grants at Highbury email employers@highbury.ac.uk or telephone (023) 9238 3131 (option 2).

Key Apprenticeship Partners working with Highbury College