The answer to this question should be a resounding ‘yes – they love standards!’. The new apprenticeships standards are designed by employers for employers.

Employers know better than anyone what skills an employee needs to do a job, so groups of employers design the standards. They decide which KSBs apprentices need for each specific occupation and include them in the standard.

Employers are involved at every stage of the apprenticeship journey:

• Employers can negotiate the price of training with the provider
• Employers are involved in the planning stage and sign the commitment statement to approve their apprentice’s training plan
• Employers support apprentices with on-programme learning in the workplace
• Employers work with providers to decide if the apprentice is ready to take the EPA
• Employers can even become employer-providers to deliver their own apprenticeships in house

As you can see, employers play an instrumental role in the new standards. They’re more involved in delivery than ever before – and reap more benefits than ever before too.

More choice

There were around 250 frameworks available on the old system, compared to over 700 apprenticeship standards. This gives employers from all sectors more choice of programmes –from air traffic controller to accountancy professional.

Higher skills development

Apprenticeship standards are available all the way up to level 7 – equivalent to a Bachelor’s or master’s degree. This means employers can use apprenticeships to develop the high-level skills they need in house – either by recruiting a new apprentice or upskilling an existing employee.

Maximise levy funds

All employers with a wage bill over £3 million a year have to pay the apprenticeship levy – a pot of funds allocated for apprenticeship training. The levy gives employers the opportunity to invest more in training and develop the skills they need for the future.

If employers don’t spend their apprenticeship levy within 24 months, their funds expire and are sent back to central Government. This means employers have to use it or lose it – giving them more incentive to invest in their staff and maximise their levy funds.

High-quality training

The new standards have been designed to meet the demands of a specific job. They contain all the knowledge, skills and behaviours an employee needs to perform the role, so employers know training will be quality, rigorous and relevant.

Apprentices also complete an end-point assessment (EPA) and receive a grade – pass, merit or distinction. This gives employers the opportunity to stretch and challenge their apprentice to get the highest grade possible – ensuring they get the biggest return on their investment.

The benefits of apprenticeships for employers are massive and multiple – that's why so many employers use apprenticeships to develop the future leaders of their business.

If you’re an employer looking to implement an apprenticeship training strategy in your business, download your employers’ guide to apprenticeships.

Or if you’re a training provider wanting to increase employer engagement, download your complete guide to engagement.