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Furloughed Apprentices
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Exciting News for Furloughed Apprentices
The government has confirmed that furloughed apprentices can continue with off-the-job training and End Point Assessment.
The government has clarified the rules for employees who are currently furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). They have stated that furloughed employees (including apprentices), are permitted to engage in training and assessment activities, provided the activity ‘does not provide services to or generate revenue for, or on behalf of (their) organisation’.
This great news will bring a range of benefits to apprentices and their employers during these difficult times and beyond. This short guide explains what the rules mean in practice and what South Essex College can do to support you.
Apprentices
During this challenging period of furlough, you may feel isolated from your colleagues and workplace.
It is important to focus on things that will keep you engaged and up-to-speed with developments which affect your role, team and wider business. Almost all apprenticeship standards include a requirement for apprentices to develop an understanding of their industry. By doing this research from home, it could be counted towards 20% off-the-job training and would also be permissible under the CJRS rules. As an example, your employer could set you a task to carry out a PESTLE analysis on your industry, with a particular focus on current events. This would ensure an ongoing activity which would accrue off-the-job hours while also ensuring you are aware of developments which affect your own business and wider sector.
Having something to focus on is great for your mental health and wellbeing. A period of isolation and inactivity could have a negative effect so it’s important that everyone takes steps to keep engaged.
Frequently asked questions for apprentices
Q – I’m an apprentice. This situation is confusing and I need some help – who should I contact?
Apprentices should phone the National Apprenticeship Service for advice. They can be reached on: 0800 0150 600 or email helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk.
Q - What does 'hardship' for apprentices mean in the Institute's guidance?
'Hardship' means that an apprentice would be disadvantaged if they were not able to take their EPA (because it was paused). This may be because they are not able to complete their apprenticeship before their term of employment ends, could not progress to a higher salary, or move onto further training or another employer. The Institute has set out suggested professional discretions that can be applied, to help in these circumstances.
Q - Will the apprenticeship system as a whole be paused?
The Institute is seeking to ensure that apprenticeships continue by being flexible, whilst also retaining the integrity of apprenticeships. Many employers do still wish apprenticeships to proceed and in many cases they can. It would be unfair to many apprentices and their employers to pause their apprenticeship where training and EPA can still be delivered. This must be balanced against the need to maintain the quality of apprenticeships as a measure of occupational competence as far as possible. In some standards, delivery of EPA will not be possible and apprentices on these standards may have to be paused at some point.
Employers
Employers will benefit hugely if they ensure that their apprentices are given the opportunity to study during their period of furlough.
Apprentices who have kept up to speed with industry developments will return to work better informed and more engaged. They are less likely to have fallen into bad habits if they have been given responsibilities and a routine to maintain. From a business perspective, it also means that apprentices are returning to work with a significant chunk of their 20% off-the-job requirement already completed. They may even have been able to complete their End Point Assessment during this period.
Keeping your apprentices engaged means that when they return to work, they will be fit, healthy and motivated. They will have been kept up-to-date with important developments and will be able to focus more of their time on servicing your business needs, as opposed to returning to work and straight into a period of training and assessment.
Training Providers
Training providers can support their apprentices by ensuring they have appropriate training and learning activities to keep them busy. It’s important to maintain contact with apprentices to ensure they are making progress and have whatever support they need. It also helps to ensure that they feel supported during this challenging period.
Training Providers can provide great support by helping apprentices to monitor and log their off-the-job training activities. There are technological solutions available but you could also consider using formative assessment activities to monitor progress of their knowledge and understanding of key topics, to demonstrate that learning has indeed taken place.
Finally, it is essential that training providers should continue to work closely with their End Point Assessment Organisations to ensure that apprentices are supported at every step to the end of their journey. As long as there are no risks to the health and wellbeing of the apprentice, proceed with their End Point Assessment as planned. It is vitally important that we offer help and support through to achievement as uncertain times lie ahead. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to safeguard our apprentices’ future employment by helping them to achieve the apprenticeship for which they have already worked so hard.
Q - Can training providers still support a furloughed worker where this apprentice is still being supported on their apprenticeship?
We are encouraging training providers, employers and assessment providers to make use of distance-learning wherever possible and practical to do so. If this is not appropriate due to illness, caring responsibilities and operational disruption then a break in learning may be the only option. Breaks in learning less than four weeks can be dealt with by the employer or training provider. More than four weeks employers/or training providers must report a formal break in learning to ESFA.
South Essex College
At South Essex College we are to continue to deliver EPA via remote means. We have done this for a number of years, successfully delivering remote EPA to thousands of apprentices. We provide a range of platform options for delivery of interviews and professional discussions, including Zoom, WebEx and MS Teams. We deliver all of our exams online and on demand using the Question Mark platform. In addition to this, all of our exams are remotely invigilated, meaning apprentices can undertake all of their EPA activities from the comfort of their own home – ideal for apprentices who are placed into furlough.
We can also work with you to identify specific learning outcomes within a standard which would be well-suited towards home study during this period. We are able to suggest activities and resources which will help you to provide valid evidence which can be used for the purposes of EPA.
If you’d like to know more about how South Essex College can support you during this period and beyond, please get in touch with us. We are here to offer all the help and support you need to get through this!
Please contact:
apprenticeships@southessex.ac.uk
Get more qualified with distance learning
South Essex College have been offering free online courses to the community for several years. We continue to offer these short nationally-accredited Level 2 courses that can help keep your mind stimulated and active during these uncertain times. You can also acquire knowledge and gain a qualification. The distance learning courses are the perfect choice for continuing professional development (CPD) for employees.
We offer the following courses:
- Awareness of mental health problems
- Behaviour that challenges
- Information, advice and guidance
- Safeguarding and prevent
- Workplace violence and harassment
- Counselling skills
- Business administration
- Data protection and data security
- Warehousing & storage
- Preparing to work in adult social care
- Caring for children & young people
- Lean organisation management techniques
Why not get a level 2 qualification in under 12 weeks from the comfort of your own home?
Self-discipline and an enthusiasm to learn are all the tools you need to get started on these qualifications.
