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Invest in your workforce

Hire an apprentice, or upskill your employees with an apprenticeship

Email: apprenticeships@harrogate.ac.uk
Tel: 01423 879 466

What is an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships allow individuals to gain qualifications and experience while working alongside employees. They are a great choice for people who benefit from more hands-on learning, have identified their ideal career or who want to change industries.

Apprenticeships also enable current employees to progress and stay in a company for longer by providing them with the right training and qualifications. There are different levels of apprenticeships, each offering a qualification equivalent to GCSEs, A Levels, degrees and masters.

For the duration of their apprenticeship, an apprentice will be employed with a salary, undertaking a mixture of practical training at your location with off-the-job training at one of our campuses or remotely.

Apprenticeship benefits for businesses:

  • Diversify your team and bring in fresh ideas
  • Cultivate new talent with more attractive opportunities to progress
  • Fill skill gaps and expand your workforce
  • Retrain and upskill your current team
  • Save on training costs – the government will pay for up to 100% of apprenticeship
  • Costs (dependent on business size)
  • Receive dedicated support from our Business Development teams
  • Become part of Luminate’s extensive local and regional networks
Two students smiling whilst being shown how to use tools in the Harrogate College workshop
Two Harrogate College students wearing white college overalls sat at a desk in a classroom working on a laptop together smiling
Student washing a client's hair in the hairdressing salon at Harrogate College

Why choose Harrogate College?

  • Harrogate College is part of the Luminate Education Group, one of the largest further education institutions in the country with more than 20,000 students, and we are one of the biggest providers of apprenticeships regionally
  • We pride ourselves on our good relationships with local, regional and national employers
  • We have excellent facilities which include professional kitchens, auto-mechanic workshop, science laboratory, salon and a construction workshop.
  • We will allocate you an account manager who will help identify any training needs for current members of staff and new recruits
  • We are funding experts and can help you get the maximum benefit of government funding available to you
  • We have ex-industry expert teachers to mentor your apprentice
  • We have a dedicated and specialist recruitment team
  • We will help you write the job description and advertise this through the National Apprenticeship website, the Harrogate College website and on our social media pages
  • We will support you as an employer and your apprentice throughout the apprenticeship journey
“Harrogate College’s support and commitment to learning has been a huge plus to the career of one of our newest members of our care team.
It has been truly inspirational to see the positive transformation in our employee’s knowledge and how her confidence has grown through learning and committed support. This has led to a positive impact on the lives of the people she supports and the wider organisation.
The credit for this goes to our amazing employee for her attitude and commitment to learning, and to Harrogate college and its staff for their professionalism, dedication, and commitment to positively improving the lives of their students.”

Paulsimon Robinson,
Registered Manager,
Harrogate Skills for Living

Our apprenticeship areas

Adult Care
Business Administration
Early Years Education
Hair & Beauty
Auto-mechanic
Construction
Electrical
Hospitality
Science & Pharmaceutical
Student wearing white overalls holding an experiment up to the light in the science laboratory classroom at Harrogate College

Apprenticeship Levels

  • Intermediate apprenticeships

    Level: 2

    Equivalent to: 5 GCSEs 4-9*

    Suitable for: Junior roles and anyone new to the industry

    Purpose: Intermediate Apprenticeships offer an entrance to an industry, teaching apprentices the basic skills and knowledge needed to progress within a chosen career path

    Job Roles: Engineering Operative, Accounts Assistant, Butcher, Adult Care Worker, Leisure Team Member

  • Advanced apprenticeships

    Level: 3

    Equivalent to: 2 A levels

    Suitable for: Existing staff members and those who have completed a Level 2 apprenticeship

    Purpose: Advanced Apprenticeships begin specialising, deepening existing knowledge of the industry, and developing skills and knowledge further

    Job Roles: Software Developers, Chef de Parties, Electrical Engineers

  • Higher apprenticeships

    Level: 4 and 5

    Equivalent to: Foundation degree

    Suitable for: Senior roles and employees looking to progress

    Purpose: Higher Apprenticeships provide more advanced knowledge and skill development that specialise and refine towards senior roles and industry applications

    Job Roles: Apprentice Teachers, Lab Technicians, Project Managers

  • Degree apprenticeships

    Level: 6 and 7

    Equivalent to: Bachelors or Masters degree

    Suitable for: Specialist careers and senior roles

    Purpose: Degree Apprenticeships usually involve undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification to gain senior positions with specialist skill sets

    Job Roles: Accountant, Finance Analyst, Product Development Manager, Event Manager

Ongoing support

You and your apprentice will be introduced to an industry skilled assessor. They will keep in contact with your apprentice on a regular basis throughout the apprenticeship, including monthly visits to your place of work. There will be an element of blended learning and they will support and guide your apprentice through the 20% off the job training and monitor their progress.

Next steps: how to start your apprenticeship journey

  1. Contact our specialist business advisors to book your free Skills Planning review
  2. We can help identify skills gaps, vacancies and staff development opportunities that could be boosted by apprenticeships and flexible training & development
  3. Create an apprenticeship service account and reserve your apprenticeships funds

Frequently asked questions:

We have put together some information which we hope you will find useful. If your question isn’t answered below, please contact us and we will be happy to help.



Email: apprenticeships@harrogate.ac.uk
Call: 01423 879 466

  • What is the Apprenticeship Levy?

    The Apprenticeship Levy is a tax paid by employers that is used to help fund apprenticeship training.

  • Who pays the Apprenticeship Levy?

    Employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million pay the Apprenticeship Levy at a rate of 0.5% of their annual pay bill. Employers with connections to companies or charities for Employment Allowance purposes and who have a combined annual pay bill of more than £3 million, also pay the Apprenticeship Levy. The Levy is paid monthly.

  • How much does it cost to hire an apprentice?

    Employers can get help with funding the cost of training and assessing apprentices. How much you are entitled to depends on whether or not you pay the Apprenticeship Levy.

    • Those who pay the Apprenticeship Levy receive funds for training and assessing their apprentices – the government will add 10%.
    • Those who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing the apprentice, direct to the training provider. The government will pay the remaining 95%, direct to the training provider.

    An additional £1000 may be available to you – depending on certain circumstances. For more information regarding costs and funding, please visit gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice/get-funding

  • Do I have to pay the wages for the apprentice?

    Yes, you will need to pay an apprentice like any other member of your staff. Please see here for further details Gov National Minimum Wage.

    Certain grants are available to some employers taking on an apprentice to help support with the payment of their wages. Details of these grants will be discussed with you prior to your recruitment of an apprentice.

  • How many hours can an apprentice work a week?

    This varies, but as a minimum an apprentice should work 30 hours a week, up to a maximum of 48 hours a week (40 hours for under 18s).

  • How many off-the-job hours does an apprentice have?

    An apprentice spends 20% of their normal working hours in ‘off-the-job’ training – this can take place weekly, monthly or in one concentrated block of time. As an example, if an apprentice was working 35 hours a week, they would spend 7 hours a week on ‘off-the-job’ training.

  • How do I advertise an apprenticeship?

    You can advertise your apprenticeship as you would any job vacancy. If you need help creating an advert – we can do this for you. Once created we will advertise your apprenticeship vacancy on our website.

  • Can you help write a job description?

    Absolutely. Once you have sent an enquiry to the college, you will be allocated a business development advisor. They will have experience in your sector and will be there to support you through the full recruitment process of your apprentice, including job descriptions.

  • What if my apprentice leaves?

    We hope to find you the right match for your job role but if the apprentice we place leaves, simply contact your allocated business development advisor to discuss options for a replacement. If you can’t find the details of your executive, you can contact the team on 01423 879 466.