Digital Skills Apprenticeships
Industry Specialist Trainers

0333 4444 227
hello@commun-it.org.uk

Receive up to £4,000 from the Government Incentive

The Government is paying any employer £3,000 to £4,000 for training any newly hired staff.
Keep your staff engaged and up to date with continuing professional development (CPD). They will appreciate you getting them accredited qualifications that costs thousands of pounds. You actually pay very little or nothing!

Reward Your Current Staff by Giving them More Training/CPD

Hire New Staff Who Will Bring Digital Skills to the Business

The Government is paying any employer up to £4,000 for training their newly hired staff.
The training you put your staff on is either 95% or 100% Government funded. Take on new staff and get up to £4,000! Choose what you want them to do from the non-exhaustive list below:

New Website Created

Or update your current website

A Digital Marketing Campaign

Planned, mapped and with content

A New Company App Developed

Showcasing your latest products/services

A New Company Communications Strategy

Communicate better to your customers, stakeholders and partners

Here what others had to say…

Commun-IT were very accommodating…

Commun-IT were very accommodating of our training schedule preferences. This helped massively with operations and keeping up our momentum.

Community Coding Club

Very pleased with the direct outputs…

We have not taken up the charity offer yet but are looking forward to doing so when schools properly reopen. We are very pleased with the direct outputs in our organisation such as Keyword and Competitor research. It was exciting to see our apprentice launch email campaigns end to end.

SME Digital

Gained immediate financial returns for all our marketing…

The video and website our apprentice put together was well received, and he even took onboard some customer feedback after the launch and updated it further. We gained immediate financial returns for all our marketing efforts led by a highly motivated apprentice. Thanks to Commun-IT for finding someone for us.

Green Lane View

We Help Your Staff Utilise the Skills they are being Taught in Your Business + You Gain Great CSR Kudos in Your Local Schools

  • IDEAS Bus Launch

  • Helping the Disabled

    Not only does your organisation benefit from upskilling your staff and bringing new digital skills into the business, your organisation will also benefit from the Community Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities that Commun-IT is involved in. You can provide volunteering opportunities for your staff to help their local schools AND
    • By placing an apprentice with Commun-IT, you will also sponsor an IDEAS Bus visit to a local school of your choice. You can even have your branding and messaging on the bus and come along!
    • You will be helping bring digital skills to the disadvantaged, disabled and all genders and demographics of young people.
    • You will help bring awareness of career opportunities in the STE(A)M industries and providing female role models to increase uptake for girls on these industries.
    • You will greatly increase the health, both mental and physical, for our younger generations from the workshops they attend about how to stay safe in a digital world.

    How does it work?


    It is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
    1. Choose Your Gift
    From the selection below (T&Cs Apply)
    4. Send Your Staff Along (optional)
    Your Staff can Volunteer for the Day at the School aswell.
    2. Choose Your Local School
    This is the school that will benefit from your gift
    3. Choose What Message or Branding
    Which we can put on the IDEAS Bus when we visit the school

    1. Analyse the Target

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    2. Find Ideas

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    3. Prototype

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    4. Test the Concept

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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Hire a new apprentice

    Who can do an apprenticeship?

    Eligiblity requirements for Commun-IT courses are very simple. An employee:

    • in a UK-based organisation
    • contracted to work 31 hours or more per week
    • in need of the qualification i.e. they are not already overqualified

    If you have someone whom you would like to train, the quickest way forward is for the employer to fill in the form on this link, or the employee to fill in a different form here. If they are not started as an employee, but you would like to check if they would like to undertake the qualification, this form is also suitable. It can also check the motivations for existing staff, whom you are considering putting into training.

    How do I attract the best candidate to my job vacancy?

    You can either recruit directly yourself, and use our Guidance for Apprentice Recruitment, or hire our Source Apprentice (SApp) managed service.

    Source Apprentice (SApp) Managed Service

    A Commun-IT specialist can help solidify your recruitment strategy to attract high quality talent. We find candidates with a proven willingness to learn at the pace of the job role and training requirements. 

    Once we provide you with a vetted shortlist of candidates, you can invite your selection to an interview. Successful candidates must be given a contract under normal employment law, after which we can onboard them as a learner, and yourself as their employer onto our systems. Read more about recruitment here.

    How is an apprentice paid?

    Apprentices are a member of staff under normal employment law. They should be paid through payroll and given payslips as usual. Their salary should be the best package that you can offer them.

    You can also utilise the Apprentice Wage of £4.20 per hour for the first year if you require. The Government has made reduced costs an opportunity for businesses to be able to afford unqualified staff who are in Government funded training.

    What is the ideal age for someone to do an apprenticeship?

    Age affects the management of a programme but not its relevance. The apprentice simply needs to be in need of the skills the qualification delivers. Therefore, any employee who will be employed for the full duration of the qualification can undertake an apprenticeship. Apprentices are trained and challenged not only on the knowledge and skills for the job, but the behaviours that make them efficient and good workers.

    Apprenticeships are here to keep staff trained for evolving businesses and changing markets. This is also known as continual professional development (CPD) and is typically required for businesses that require digital skills. Outdated workforce skill levels cause stagnation and poor productivity. Training can not only increase skills but also confidence and motivation.

    What are the costs of an apprenticeship?

    It depends on the age of the learner. The government funds either 100% or 95% of training costs. The 5% employer contribution, if applicable, is paid to the training provider.

    There are also government cash incentives if you place new or current staff on apprenticeships. We have a guide on Apprenticeship Training costs here.

    Who can hire an apprentice?

    Any organisation, whether a self-employed business, a charity or business, who can pay the apprentice through payroll can have an apprentice. That of course means current staff can also train through apprenticeship programmes.

    The Government funds the training for all companies with a payroll bill under £3 million annually (non-levy). Non-levy companies do not have to contribute towards costs if the apprentice is 16-18 years old, wherein The Government also gives you a £1,000 cash incentive. For age 19+ apprentices, you have to contribute only 5% of training costs.

    Apprentices can deliver results

    How is an apprentice’s time spent?

    Employees working 31 hours or more will have enough time to complete any Commun-IT programme, where 20% of their time is dedicated to guided off-the-job training.

    The schedule of an apprentice’s time is something that you as the employer must define with us, such that we can make sure the apprentice will attend their guided training hours. These run as fixed classes and attendance is a requirement.

    The remaining 80% of the apprentice’s work hours are spent on-the-job i.e. under your direct instruction. You can read more about how to support an apprentice in making the best use of their time here.

    How do I ensure high quality work from an apprentice?

    When it comes to guiding an apprentice’s knowledge and skills, we as the training provider ensure they are on track to satisfy their Qualification Standard. In terms of their behavioural development, this starts with your leadership.

    Is your workplace and team set up in a way that the people working in it are led, supported and appraised for continuing development? If you have a concern about what responsibilities there are in managing apprentices: Firstly, you should treat them like a member of staff. Read more here.

    To get off to the best start, you can always read our guide on How to set tasks for apprentices and get the best result. Also consider upskilling and training your current staff, even Executives and Directors, to lead to a stronger and better performing team.

    Can I have more than one apprentice?

    For a non-levy organisation, up to 10 members of staff can be trained at the same time using Government funds for apprenticeships. There is no time like the present to prioritise staff training and keeping digital skills relevant and useful to your business, whilst funds are available due to being under-utilised.

    You can read more about the levy and how it works here, but the quickest way to get started with hiring or placing staff on apprenticeships is to fill in this form.

    Does the employing organisation or line manager have additional work to do?

    Upon programme commencement, a representative from the organisation must be a first point of contact for all apprenticeship matters. This person must ensure the organisation supports the apprentice as required by the Education & Skills Funding Agency, and they should partake in quarterly meetings at the very least, but managers are typically much more proactive.

    It is employer commitment and involvement that leads to the best training experience for the apprentice. It is highly recommended that your organisation appoints a mentor (not necessarily their manager) so that the apprentice can talk more regularly with a work colleague or superior about their development.

    What are key benefits of apprenticeship training?
    • You can agree a bespoke training package with Commun-IT, therefore the apprentice will always have your business aims in mind and complete the tasks that have been agreed.
    • You can employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates, to people who want to further their careers or try a new job role.
    • You can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee; either way you bring new skills into your organisation in a way that they are applied promptly.
    • As an employer, you can get funding from the government to help pay for apprenticeship training either 95% or 100%.
    • There are also cash incentives for placing staff on apprenticeships.
    • Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.
    What have employers said about their apprentices?
    • 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation.
    • 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity.
    • 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service.

    Get in Touch if you have any Questions

    If you have a learner enquiry please be sure to use your learn email account and email learn@commun-it.org.uk. For any other matters, please contact us on the details below.  Thanks

    Charity & Social Enterprises Supported
    ETC Charity
    IDEAS Bus
    CCC
    ATRD

    © Fresh Commun-IT Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 09378225