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Apprentice Funding

Funding an apprenticeship for levy paying employers

As an employer with a pay bill of more than £3 million, you’re required to pay the apprenticeship levy. You can manage funds using the apprenticeship service and spend it on training and assessing your apprentices. The government will apply a 10% top up to the funds you have in your account.

If you don’t already have an account, find out how to set up an apprenticeship service account as an employer.

Levy Transfer

You can use your apprenticeship service account to transfer up to 25% of your unused levy funds to a business of your choice.  By transferring levy funds you will be supporting other businesses in paying for their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum).

When creating a pledge, you can select how much funding will be available for that financial year. You can also choose which businesses you’d like to support by selecting optional sector, skill or location criteria.

Once submitted, your pledge will be advertised here so that businesses can search and apply for a transfer of funds.

Funding an apprenticeship for non-levy employers

If you are an employer that doesn’t pay the apprenticeship levy, you pay just 5% towards the cost of training and assessing an apprentice. The government will pay the rest up to the funding band maximum. You’ll pay CSR directly and agree on a payment schedule.

If you employ fewer than 50 employees, the government will pay 100% of the apprenticeship training costs up to the funding band maximum for apprentices aged: 16 to 18 or 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan provided by their local authority or has been in the care of their local authority.

You will need to create an apprenticeship service account to reserve apprenticeship funding. Click here or contact us for further information.

Paying your Apprentice

You’re responsible for paying your apprentice for their normal working hours and any training they do as part of the apprenticeship. As an advocate and supporter of The Apprentice Decent Wage Pledge CSR would strongly advise not to pay the National Minimum Wage. To better understand the importance of a decent wage for apprenticeships, please see the documents below:

For any advice and guidance on how to best utilise your levy funds please book a meeting with CSR.

Book a Meeting

"NPL’s science apprentice programme makes me very proud. It is helping to ensure a healthy and diverse pipeline of talent for our future."

-- The National Physical Laboratory’s CEO, Peter Thompson

"We at The University of Oxford could not recommend CSR Scientific Training as a training provider more. If you are looking for scientific or laboratory apprenticeships then make sure you get in touch with the team at CSR."

-- Helen Johnson – Senior Appointments & Apprenticeship Manager, The University of Oxford

"Thank you for helping us build our future and for your continued support and dedication to apprenticeship training."

-- Carly Larkin, Apprentice Lead at East Kent Hospitals University

"CSR lecturers are a massive help. If I have any problems they try their hardest to find a solution."

-- Kane Murrell, Apprentice Nanofabrication Technician at Cranfield University.

"I get to experience what working life is like whilst getting support from both my Line Manager and the team at CSR to develop. With the qualifications I have gained this will help to increase my employability and allow me to apply for more advanced roles at my current, or other, companies in the future."

-- Cameron Hughes, Science Manufacturing Technician – Freeline

We are an RSC accredited provider for our L3 laboratory technician apprenticeship programme. Click here for more info.

CSR is an Ofsted good provider with Outstanding Behaviours and Attitudes, click here to read our report

winning award

CSR are honoured and delighted to be the National winners in the Outstanding Contribution to the development of Apprenticeships (Provider) category.