Thinking about utilising apprenticeship training in your organisation for new or existing members of your team? An apprentice, with the support of Damar Training, can make a fantastic contribution to your company’s growth. However, you might be wondering, ‘When do apprenticeships start?’
It’s a great question, and the answer can depend on a number of factors. In this guide, we’ll help you understand what these are and what sort of time frames you can expect when engaging with apprenticeships.
So, when do apprenticeships start?
The apprenticeship start date is determined by you, as an employer, and the apprenticeship provider you engage with. Some providers, in particular colleges and universities, will run their apprenticeships on the academic year, with programmes beginning in September, in line with the rest of their provision.
But this lack of flexibility is often not suited to employers who may want to hire new talent or upskill existing staff members at different times throughout the year. Employers who need this flexibility should look to engage with independent training providers, such as Damar Training. In addition to increasing flexibility, independent providers are typically much more focused in their offering, meaning that you are getting the support of an organisation that specialises in apprenticeship training.
Some independent providers offer what we call roll-on, roll-off apprenticeships, meaning that the apprentice can start on their programme at any point in time.
However, other providers, such as Damar, run apprenticeship programmes in groups or cohorts. We do this because we found that apprentices greatly benefit from peer-to-peer learning and being able to share best practices and ideas across different industries. In addition to this, group coaching sessions and workshops, where apprentices on the same programme get together with their coach or expert tutor to discuss new topics and develop new skills, are a key feature of Damar’s apprenticeships.
As a result, we have set start dates throughout the year, giving employers flexibility whilst also allowing apprentices to benefit from that group environment. Some of our most popular programmes, such as the business administration apprenticeship and data protection apprenticeship, have start dates every four to six weeks. In some cases, such as with solicitor apprenticeships, we also need to align start dates with exam schedules, meaning that we do a smaller number of large intakes per year.
So, it’s up to you as an employer which provider you engage with. And the structure and flexibility of their start dates may be one thing you want to consider when making that decision. But ultimately, the quality of the provision, the success rates of apprentices and employer satisfaction are critical when deciding what provider to work with!
Timelines and deadlines
Once you know what provider you want to work with and what their apprenticeship start dates are, understanding timelines is crucial. Here are a few key things to keep in mind as an employer:
Contracts and paperwork: When you begin working with a provider, you will typically both sign a contract for services. For each apprentice, additional documentation will be required, such as a health and safety assessment and apprenticeship agreement.
Recruitment timelines: If you do choose Damar to help you with taking on an apprentice, we will work with you to establish a recruitment timeline that allows for advertising, shortlisting, interviews, and the successful candidate accepting your offer before the application deadline.
Apprenticeship service accounts: You will need to set up an Apprenticeship Service account. This allows you to access your levy funds if you’re a levy payer, or access government funding for 95-100% of the training costs if you’re an SME. Learn more about the apprenticeship levy here!
Here’s what Toni Carter, Apprenticeship and Raising Participation Co-Ordinator at Rochdale Borough Council, had to say about apprentices in their organisation:
“We believe apprentices are the future of our workforce, so we commit to recruiting, inducting, supporting and celebrating all the apprentices that join us. They bring enthusiasm, passion, new ideas and talent into our organisation.
“Damar has always offered a flexible and supportive approach to our accounting apprenticeship programme, including supporting our specialised induction week, which sees apprentices take on a journey of real value and learning via our partnership working.”
Hear from more of our employers partners by reading on our case studies page.
Invest in your team today with the help of Damar
The answer to your question ‘When do apprenticeships start?’ is that it can often be flexible and designed to fit around your company’s needs. This means that you can align your workforce development strategy with operational demands and growth objectives.
Remember, at Damar, we’re experts in the apprenticeship field. So, if you’re ready to take on new challenges or want to upskill your workforce, get in touch with us today. Building your future begins here!
Your FAQs, answered by our experts
Is there a specific time of year I should recruit an apprentice?
Unlike traditional academic calendars, which often focus on September starts, apprenticeships can commence at any time of the year (depending on the provider). However, it’s worth bearing in mind the role you’re recruiting for and your ideal candidate. If it’s an entry level role, recruiting in the summer can be ideal, as this is the time when thousands of young people are leaving school, college and university, looking for their next step.
How quickly will the apprentice start once I’ve decided to hire?
This is an important consideration for many organisations, but will largely depend on how responsive you’re able to be throughout the recruitment process. Making the role attractive to prospective candidates is key to ensuring that you attract quality applicants. And then being able to shortlist, interview and feed back to applicants in a timely way is critical. People are typically applying for more than one role or apprenticeship at a time and the best candidates will get snapped up quickly.
What about apprenticeships for existing staff?
Apprenticeships are a great tool for upskilling existing staff and with providers like Damar, you have quite a lot of flexibility in terms of when the individual commences their programme. However, even without having to go through a recruitment process, there is still paperwork to get in order for an existing member of staff to start an apprenticeship so we recommend getting in touch with us (or your provider) as early as possible to start the on-boarding process.
For more information, be sure to have a read of our full employer FAQs page.