How to Take on an Apprentice in the Trade

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Benefits for employers taking on apprentices

If you are still on the fence about whether an apprenticeship programme is going to be a good move for your company, we are here to assure you that you will be making a great business decision.

This is because apprentices can help trade firms in all the following ways:

• Apprenticeship programmes allow you to build a workplace culture where learning and development is encouraged.
   

• Apprentices promote both diversity and inclusion throughout a business.
   

• They also bring fresh ideas into a workplace, which can help improve the work of all other tradespeople employed at a firm.
   

• You can train an apprentice to meet your exact standards, without the worry that they have picked up bad habits in the trade before working for your company.
   

• Recruiting for your business can be a more cost-effective procedure by taking on apprentices, especially if you are eligible for financial support – this GOV.UK guide details the funding that may be available to you.
   

• Having an apprenticeship programme can put a firm in a positive light with the public, as it showcases that a business is committed to developing talent. 

Can I take on an apprentice as a soul trader?

It is possible to set up an apprenticeship programme as a sole trader, just like with any type of business. 

However, there are a few things you need to do to make sure your firm is ready to take on an apprentice.

Firstly, it is a legal requirement across the UK to have Employers Liability Insurance that has a minimum of £5 million of cover in place before hiring any employee – apprentice or otherwise.

Are you taking on an apprentice as a soul trader who will be earning more than £10,000 a year and/or is at least 22 years old? If so, then another legal requirement is for you to enrol them onto a workplace pensions scheme and inform them about this. Enrolment must take place within six weeks of an apprentice meeting the criteria, while it is up to them if they opt in or out of the scheme once provided to them.

You also must register that you are an employer with HM Revenue & Customs, so that you can obtain both an Accounts Office Reference number and access to the PAYE system to pay your apprentice.

Steps you must follow when taking on an apprentice

No matter the type of business you run in the trade industry, these eight aspects must be applied when you are an employer about to hire an apprentice:

1. It is your responsibility as an employer to check that a prospective apprentice is at least 16 years old, is not already in full-time education and will be working in a role that is relevant to their apprenticeship course.
 

2. It is also your responsibility as an employer to confirm that an apprentice has correctly inputted their details into GOV.UK’s my apprenticeship service. 
 

3. Both you as the employer and an apprentice must sign an apprenticeship agreement, as this will be used to confirm individual employment arrangements between both parties.
 

4. Both you as the employer and your apprenticeship training provider must sign an apprenticeship training plan too, so that all commitments of a course are clearly set out and key details recorded.
 

5. At least the National Minimum Wage must be paid to an apprentice, as set out by GOV.UK depending on someone’s age and year of their apprenticeship course.
 

6. An apprentice must work at least 30 hours per week, though it is recommended that their working hours be kept at 40 hours or under as well.
 

7. At least 20 per cent of an apprentice’s working hours must be protected and spent undergoing ‘off-the-job’ training (it can be decided between you as the employer, your apprentice and your training provider what the frequency of this training is though).
 

8. An apprentice must be allowed time to study for English and Mathematics qualifications during their apprenticeship if they have not met the minimum level 2 requirements (with this not counted towards their protected ‘off-the-job’ training).

For a further helping hand when finding, recruiting and retaining an apprentice at your firm, we encourage you to contact the Construction Industry Training Board’s new entrant support team. They can give great advice and are geared up to work with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Now that you know how to take on apprentices at your trade firm, be sure to browse through the rest of our Trade Corner hub for more advice on how to improve your company and its workplace environment. We also have so many top tips that will help your employees to enhance their skills in their specialist trade.

Disclaimer: Information displayed in this article is correct at the time of publication, but note that legislation changes periodically. The information contained on this page is intended as an overall introduction. Travis Perkins aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.