How to Take On an Apprentice in England: A Step-by-Step Employer Checklist

To take on an apprentice in England you choose an apprenticeship standard and a training provider, set up funding through the apprenticeship service, sign an apprenticeship agreement with the apprentice and a training plan with the apprentice and provider, pay at least the apprentice minimum wage, release them for the published off-the-job training hours, and prepare for assessment. The checklist below takes each step in order, with the rule behind it.

It is based on DWP guidance (How to take on an apprentice, last updated 1 August 2026), the GOV.UK pages on employing an apprentice, and the Apprenticeship funding rules for August 2026 to July 2027, version 3. Responsibility for apprenticeships moved from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions on 1 April 2026, which is why newer guidance carries the DWP name.

Step 1: Check the role and the candidate are eligible

• Age: apprentices are 16 or over; the guidance says they should be 16 by the end of the summer holidays.
• Not in full-time education, and working in a role relevant to the apprenticeship.
• Right to work in England, and at least 50% of working hours in England over the apprenticeship.
• Employed by you, a connected company or connected charity as defined by HMRC. New and existing staff can both be apprentices.
• Enough paid hours to complete the training. Minimum durations assume 30 paid hours a week or more, but part-time staff can still be apprentices over a longer period.
• Level restrictions: under the 2026 to 2027 rules, Level 7 standards are only funded for apprentices aged 16 to 21, or 22 to 24 with an EHC plan or care experience (paragraph 32).

Step 2: Work out your funding position

All employers must use the apprenticeship service, so create an account first. What you then pay depends on your levy status and the apprentice’s age at the start of training:

• Non-levy employers reserve funds in the finance section of the account, up to 3 months before the expected start, or let the provider reserve for them. You need to know the course and the start month.
• Reservations expire if not used within 3 months of the start date in the reservation (funding rules, paragraph 205).
• A levy transfer from a larger employer is the alternative: it pays 100% of training and assessment up to the funding band maximum, for a new start only.
• Anything above the funding band maximum is paid in full by the employer.

Step 3: Choose the standard, the provider and the price

Each apprenticeship relates to a specific occupation, with details on the Skills England website. Use Find apprenticeship training to choose a provider. You and the provider must agree a total price that includes end-point assessment. Two rules shape that price:

• End-point assessment should not exceed 20% of the funding band maximum.
• Prior learning reduces content and price. The provider must assess relevant prior learning; the price must drop by at least half the prior learning percentage (paragraph 39.3.2). If less than 8 months or 187 hours of training remains, the person is not eligible for apprenticeship funding.

Step 4: Sign the three documents

Three separate documents are needed. The funding rules say the training plan and the apprenticeship agreement must not be combined, because they serve different purposes and have different signatories.

Contract of employment

It sets out pay, working hours and conditions, and must last long enough for the apprentice to complete the apprenticeship, including the end-point assessment.

Apprenticeship agreement (employer and apprentice)

Required by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. GOV.UK lists the occupation, the apprenticeship name, the dates and the amount of training. Paragraph 72 of the funding rules is more detailed: an agreement that is incomplete or unsigned is not valid, and the provider cannot be funded. It must contain:

• the apprentice’s name and place of work;
• the apprenticeship standard and level;
• start and end dates of the apprenticeship, including end-point assessment;
• start and end dates and duration of the practical period (the training part, usually no more than 2 to 3 weeks after the job starts for a new recruit);
• the amount of off-the-job training time.

The same person cannot sign as both apprentice and employer, there must be a separate identifiable line manager, and you must give the provider a copy. Extend the agreement if the programme is extended.

Training plan (employer, apprentice and provider)

The provider drafts it with you. Under paragraph 100 it includes the apprentice’s job role and normal working hours, all parties including the end-point assessment organisation, the total planned off-the-job hours, the delivery model, when and by whom each part is delivered, any English and maths qualifications (kept outside the off-the-job hours), the frequency of progress reviews, your written confirmation that the apprentice will be released for training in working hours, and the complaints route. Brief the apprentice’s day-to-day manager on its content.

Step 5: Pay, hours and off-the-job training

• Wage: the apprentice National Minimum Wage rate is £8 per hour for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and for those 19 or over in their first year; after that, the normal rate for their age applies. Use the apprentice rate only from the apprenticeship start date.
• Paid time: pay for normal working hours, off-the-job training and English and maths study that is part of the apprenticeship.
• Holiday: at least 20 days’ paid holiday a year plus bank holidays.
• Off-the-job training: for starts from 1 August 2025, the minimum volume of hours is published on each standard; no programme can go below 187 hours. The older “20% of working hours” rule no longer applies to new starts, even though some GOV.UK pages still mention it.
• Minimum duration: the practical period lasts at least 8 months; the funding rules give the example that training starting on 1 August 2026 must still be under way on 31 March 2027.
• National Insurance: no employer contributions on eligible earnings for apprentices under 25.

Step 6: Support the apprentice and prepare for assessment

Your responsibilities, as listed in the Growth and Skills Levy employer factsheet, include on-the-job training, mentoring and supervision, and an induction covering policies, procedures and a safe working environment. The provider runs progress reviews at least every 3 calendar months. Make sure the apprentice confirms their details on My apprenticeship.

• At least 6 months before gateway, the provider (or you, if you take this role) must select an end-point assessment organisation and agree a price.
• Assessment can only start once the minimum duration and gateway requirements are met and you are content the apprentice is ready.
• The apprentice must stay employed until assessment is complete, allowing time for any resit.
• Some standards are moving from end-point assessment to a new “apprenticeship assessment” model announced in February 2025; the provider will tell you which applies.
• The certificate is requested by the assessment organisation once all requirements are passed.

If a step raises a question specific to your case, you can ask the Apprenticeships in England knowledge base, for example “What details must an apprenticeship agreement contain?”, and get an answer that cites the relevant paragraph.

Don’t miss the extra payments

Several payments can be combined. A £1,000 additional payment applies for apprentices aged 16 to 18, or 19 to 24 with an EHC plan or care experience; it is paid via the provider, half at 90 days and half at 365 days (or 242 days for shorter or foundation apprenticeships). From 1 October 2026, non-levy employers can receive a £2,000 hiring payment for new employees aged 16 to 24. Each foundation apprentice can attract a £2,000 incentive.

Sources: How to take on an apprentice, Make an apprenticeship agreement and the Apprenticeship funding rules 2026 to 2027.