National Apprenticeship Week wasn’t just a celebration; it was an opportunity for employers to take stock of their skills strategy and focus on building the capability their business needs, now and for the future.
With recruitment challenges, evolving customer expectations and rapid change across industries, many organisations are feeling the pressure of skills gaps. Apprenticeships provide a practical, structured route to develop talent, whether that’s bringing new people into the business or upskilling existing colleagues.
The employer benefits: more than a training programme
Apprenticeships are often associated with early-career hiring, but they’ve evolved significantly. Today, they can support roles across the organisation, helping businesses develop the skills they need in a measurable, work-focused way.
Build the skills you need, where you need them: Apprenticeships are designed around real job roles. That means training is aligned to workplace performance, not just classroom learning. For employers, this can translate into:
- stronger capability in critical roles
- improved consistency and quality
- clearer development pathways and progression routes
Boost productivity and performance: Apprenticeships combine learning with on-the-job application, which often means the impact is felt quickly. As apprentices build confidence and competence, employers can benefit from:
- improved productivity
- reduced errors and rework
- stronger team capability and resilience
Make better use of training budgets (including the Levy): From a financial perspective, apprenticeships can represent excellent value and a structured way to invest in skills.
If your organisation’s annual pay bill is over £3 million, you pay the Apprenticeship Levy (0.5%). Your Levy contributions appear in your Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account and can be used to fund eligible apprenticeship training and assessment. The key is to make sure the funding is aligned to your workforce priorities, so it delivers measurable impact.
From August 2026, non-levy organisations (those with an annual wage bill under £3 million) will have 100% of apprenticeship training costs funded (up to the funding band maximum) when recruiting apprentices aged 16–24. For apprentices aged 25 and over, employers will contribute 5%, with the government funding the remaining 95%.
Making apprenticeships simple: practical support from Newbury College
Apprenticeships can deliver real business value, but we know you’re busy balancing recruitment, funding and day-to-day operations.
That’s where the team at Newbury College can help. We offer hands-on support to make the process straightforward, including:
- Selecting the right apprenticeship standard for your company, sector and the role you’re recruiting for, ensuring training aligns with the skills you actually need.
- Setting up your Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account, which is required for both recruitment and accessing Apprenticeship Levy funding.
- Support with your vacancy details, helping you create an advert that’s clear, accurate and appealing to candidates.
- Access to a large pool of candidates, including hundreds of active jobseekers and current Newbury College/ University Centre Newbury students actively seeking apprenticeship opportunities.
- Initial vetting of applications, so you can focus your time on interviewing the strongest candidates.
- Full support at no additional cost to your business, with Newbury College/University Centre Newbury appointed as the training provider for your apprentice.
Whether you’re recruiting your first apprentice or looking to maximise your Levy investment, we’ll help you move from “where do we start?” to a recruitment and training plan that supports your business goals.
Interested in building skills for growth this year? Find out more: https://newbury-college.ac.uk/apprenticeships/employers or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..