Employer Checklist

7 steps to hiring an apprentice

This simple guide is perfect for employers who have a pay bill of less than £3 million each year. The guide outlines the steps you willl need to take to employ an apprentice once you have found the right course and training provider to deliver your apprenticeship training.

1. Create an apprenticeship service account

First, you will need to create an employer account - ensure you add your PAYE scheme reference number and your account office reference number (AORN), and also sign the employer agreement to complete account set up. For support watch our how-to video or visit our help portal.

2. Grant your training provider account permissions

Once registered, you can grant your chosen training provider account permissions to complete actions on your behalf. As the employer, you will need to approve any account actions they take.

3. Secure your funding

Reserve government funding using your account to help cover apprenticeship training and assessment costs. You may also be able to benefit from a transfer of funds from a larger business. Your training provider can provide further information and reserve funding on your behalf, or watch our how-to video or visit our help portal for support.

4. Advertise and recruit

You can advertise your apprenticeship for free on Find an apprenticeship, the official government website for apprenticeship opportunities in England, which is used by thousands of registered candidates. You or your training provider can set up adverts, review applications and manage candidates within your apprenticeship service account. Watch our how-to video or access our help portal for additional support.

5. Add your apprentice to your account

Once recruited, you will need to add your apprentice to your account and ensure that you have created your apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement. Your training provider can complete this step for you or you can watch our how-to video for support.

6. Apply for an incentive payment

If eligible, you can apply to receive £3,000 for hiring a new apprentice of any age between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021. The incentive payment is in addition to the £1,000 employers already receive for hiring an apprentice aged 16 to 18 years old, or aged between 19 to 24 years old with an Education, Health and Care plan or who has been in the care of their local authority. For support watch our how-to video.

7. Find an end-point assessor

You need to choose an end-point assessment organisation to assess that your apprentice has the right skills and behaviours needed to be occupationally competent. This step must be done as soon as possible at the start of the apprenticeship. For further details, you can speak to your training provider or visit our help portal.