What is the Apprenticeship Levy?

The Apprenticeship Levy is a compulsory levy which applies to large organisations with an annual payroll budget of £3million or over. It comes into force from April 2017. All employers eligible for the levy will have to contribute 0.5% of their payroll to fund apprenticeships, to fuel the government’s aim of providing 3 million new ‘high quality’ apprenticeships by 2020. Such organisations can indirectly access their levy funds by enrolling employees on HDA programmes. Smaller organisations can also access HDA provision with generous government funding despite being exempt from the levy.

Take a look at our video HDAs and the Apprenticeship Levy

What is the relationship between HDAs and WBL?

The relationship between HDAs and WBL more generally.

It is helpful to think of HDAs as a specific subset of the WBL ethos that already exists within many courses. All HDA apprentices are both employees and students – working for their employer whilst studying part-time – so WBL is an essential part of the HDA ethos.

What is the relationship of HDAs with existing courses?

Some existing WBL-orientated courses may be well-placed for conversion to offer HDA provision. Others will need to be developed according to employer and market needs. The Work-Based Learning Framework (WBLF) outlines the range of course structure options and core WBL module requirements to support the development of HDA provision.

What are the key HDA process documents?

Contact DEEP to ensure your apprentice is provided with the correct template for a Commitment Statement before an apprenticeship commences. There is a 3 stage application process for the employer and their apprentice which is operated by DEEP and Admissions before apprenticeship enrolment can take place.

This document contains all the information required to return details of the learner to the ESFA (via DEEP) and gain funding to pay the course fees. A lot of this information is directly related to the course of study. Therefore, the course delivery team must be familiar with its purpose and inform the content to ensure the apprenticeship journey starts correctly and complies with funding rules.

What are the key WBL process documents?

The WBL framework operating guide provides comprehensive process information.