The main eligibility criteria is:

• The apprentice must be aged between 16 and 24

• Your organisation must have fewer than 50 employees in the UK

• You must not have started an apprentice in the previous 12-months that you have not claimed the grant for

You can claim for up to 5 apprentices who do not need to be recruited at the same time.You can claim for up to 5 apprentices who do not need to be recruited at the same time.

Other eligibility criteria:

• Only one grant will be paid per employer for any particular individual

• You must commit to employ your apprentice for the length of their Apprenticeship

• You must agree to pay the apprentice in line with legal minimum requirements or more

How do employers apply?

You must complete, sign and return an AGE 16 to 24 Employer Declaration to Harlow College. We can send you this document if you choose to go ahead and recruit an apprentice. Harlow College administer send you this document if you choose to go ahead and recruit an apprentice. Harlow College administer the grant on your behalf and make a claim 13 weeks after the apprentice has been enrolled on theirApprenticeship. Providing you are eligible, we make a direct transfer to your bank account. You can expect to receive the grant within 4-6 months from when your apprentice is enrolled.

Payment is in the form of a grant and is therefore exempt from VAT.

If your apprentice leaves or is dismissed before completing 13 weeks of their Apprenticeship, you will not receive payment for the grant, even if they completed 13 weeks in employment.

APPRENTICESHIP EMPLOYER GRANTThe £1500 Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) supports businesses to create new jobs and recruit individuals aged 16 to 24 into employment through the Apprenticeship programme.

For grant application forms please contact:

Jayne Youelljyouell@harlow-college.ac.uk01279 867469 May 2015 (version 19)

The main eligibility criteria is:

• The apprentice must be aged between 16 and 24• Your organisation must have fewer than 50 employees in the UK • You must not have started an apprentice in the previous 12-months that you have not claimed the grant for

You can claim for up to 5 apprentices who do not need to be recruited at the same time.

Other eligibility criteria:

• Only one grant will be paid per employer for any particular individual • You must commit to employ your apprentice for the length of their Apprenticeship • You must agree to pay the apprentice in line with legal minimum requirements or more

How do employers apply?

You must complete, sign and return an AGE 16 to 24 Employer Declaration to Harlow College. We can send you this document if you choose to go ahead and recruit an apprentice. Harlow College administer the grant on your behalf and make a claim 13 weeks after the apprentice has been enrolled on their Apprenticeship. Providing you are eligible, we make a direct transfer to your bank account. You can expect to receive the grant within 4-6 months from when your apprentice is enrolled.

Payment is in the form of a grant and is therefore exempt from VAT.

If your apprentice leaves or is dismissed before completing 13 weeks of their Apprenticeship, you will not receive payment for the grant, even if they completed 13 weeks in employment.

For grant application forms please contact:

Jayne Youelljyouell@harlow-college.ac.uk01279 867469

The Department for Education currently fully fund all Apprenticeship programmes provided that the apprentice is fully signed up and started on their learning programme prior to their 19th birthday.

For apprentices that are signed up after their 19th birthday, the government currently fund 50% of the apprentice programme, with an assumed employer contribution of the remaining 50%.

Depending upon the apprenticeship framework in question, the employer contribution could run into Depending upon the apprenticeship framework in question, the employer contribution could run into several thousand pounds. However Harlow College recognises and will work with you to identify the “in kind” contribution the employers make towards the cost of delivering the Apprenticeship. This could include the use of your premises for some of the delivery, support from other members from your workforce or the donation of materials and equipment.

With this in mind, Harlow College currently has a policy to charge an employer contribution fee of With this in mind, Harlow College currently has a policy to charge an employer contribution fee of £500 for each apprentice aged 19 and over. There is no employer contribution required for Apprentices who are aged under 19 on the day they start their learning programme.

Depending upon certain sector based externally assessed practical examinations; some employers may have a higher fee to cover additional costs incurred by the College.

This currently includes:• Electro-technical advanced apprenticeship at L3 – employer contribution is £1600. The higher contribution covers all costs and assessments associated with completion of this framework contribution covers all costs and assessments associated with completion of this framework

• Engineering L4 higher apprenticeship University fees = £7000 over 2 years

Invoicing will take place after apprentices are signed up and started their learning programme.

For more information please contact:

Jayne Youelljyouell@harlow-college.ac.uk01279 867469

APPRENTICESHIP fee summaryOnly applicable if your apprentice is aged 19 or over on the day they are enrolled on their Apprenticeship with Harlow College

The Department for Education currently fully fund all Apprenticeship programmes provided that the apprentice is fully signed up and started on their learning programme prior to their 19th birthday.

For apprentices that are signed up after their 19th birthday, the government currently fund 50% of the apprentice programme, with an assumed employer contribution of the remaining 50%.

Depending upon the apprenticeship framework in question, the employer contribution could run into several thousand pounds. However Harlow College recognises and will work with you to identify the “in kind” contribution the employers make towards the cost of delivering the Apprenticeship. This could include the use of your premises for some of the delivery, support from other members from your workforce or the donation of materials and equipment.

With this in mind, Harlow College currently has a policy to charge an employer contribution fee of £500 for each apprentice aged 19 and over. There is no employer contribution required for Apprentices who are aged under 19 on the day they start their learning programme.

Depending upon certain sector based externally assessed practical examinations; some employers may have a higher fee to cover additional costs incurred by the College.

This currently includes:

• Electro-technical advanced apprenticeship at L3 – employer contribution is £1600. The higher contribution covers all costs and assessments associated with completion of this framework• Engineering L4 higher apprenticeship University fees = £7000 over 2 years

Invoicing will take place after apprentices are signed up and started their learning programme.

For more information please contact:

Jayne Youelljyouell@harlow-college.ac.uk01279 867469

Whathappens nextYou have completed your recruitment and selected the best candidate for the role. We now need to complete the sign-up process and get your apprentice enrolled on the relevant training programme.

You need to notify us of the agreed start date and your apprentices contact details

if we don’t already have them

We will invite your apprentice into college for an interview and determine their suitabilityfor enrolment – PTO to see note 1

You need to issue your apprentice with a contract of employment

– PTO to see note 2

You need to issue your apprentice with an Apprenticeship Agreement – PTO to see note 3

The delivery team will contact you to arrange an appointment to complete the sign-up

process – PTO to see note 4

Once all the paperwork has been completed your apprentice will be signed-up and theirlearning begins

Any grants you have claimed will be administered – PTO to see note 6

Your apprentice will usually attend Harlow College on day release

– PTO to see note 5

Note 1We will invite you apprentice into the college to start the initial sign-up process. During this appointment we will need to see the apprentice’s original qualification certificates, national insurance details and photo ID (either a driving licence or passport). If no photo ID is available then we will need to see their birth certificate. The apprentice will take a skills test to ensure their level of English, maths and in some cases IT is at the required standard to allow them to successfully complete their Apprenticeship qualification. Learners that don’t initially meet the entry criteria may be signposted to develop these skills prior to starting an Apprenticeship. Our Assessor will then make contact to finalise the sign-up process with your apprentice. Please be aware of this as it can take 2-4 weeks for us to complete the sign-up process and you may have chosen to start your apprentice in the workplace before we confirm they can enrol on the training programme.

Note 2You must issue your apprentice with a contract of employment that must last at least the length of the Apprenticeship. The first day of their Apprenticeship is the date when we have completed all the necessary sign-up paperwork and is not necessarily the same day that your apprentice will start work with you. We have a contract template you can use – please contact Jayne Youell for a copy. The sign-up process can take several weeks so you might want to consider a trial period during this time but if youare issuing a fixed term contract then it must cover any initial period of work plus the length of theApprenticeship commencing from the date we complete the necessary sign-up paperwork. If you opt for a work trial, please make this clear to the apprentice. Apprentices must work for a minimum of 30 hours a week which includes an 8 hour day at college. The minimum wage for an apprentice is £3.30/hour and you must pay them for their time in college. You can pay above this if you choose to.

Note 3You must issue your apprentice with an Apprenticeship Agreement – details and a template can be obtained through this link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-agreement-template

Note 4 The delivery team will make contact with you and arrange an appointment to visit you at your workplace or invite you into the college to complete the relevant paperwork. This may involve a health and safety assessment of your premises and a copy of your employer’s liability insurance will be required for our files. At this meeting the assessor will discuss the training programme in detail and the various elements required to ensure your apprentice successfully achieves their qualification. They will formalise a training plan for your apprentice which is reviewed on a formal, regular basis. They will also detail any site visits or assessments in the work place that may be required. For apprentices aged 19 years and over, the assessor will discuss employer contribution fees.

Note 5Your apprentice will usually be required to attend Harlow College on day release. It is imperative that they attend as missing their training day will impact on their learning. The day they attend varies according to the course they are following and the assessor will give you all these details. There will be some holiday periods when your apprentice is not required to attend college. You will be notified of non-attendance if your apprentice fails to attend college on their set day.

Note 6 If you are claiming any grants please complete and return relevant paperwork to Jayne Youell. Employers claiming the AGE grant should expect payment 4-6 months after their apprentice has been signed-up.