Taking on an Apprentice

Apprenticeships help bring valuable skills into your business with the government's support. They’re suitable for people at any level so you can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee. You can also upskill yourself through an apprenticeship under certain circumstances

What are the benefits of hiring an accounting or payroll apprentice?

Apprenticeships are an exciting option for both apprentice and employer.

You can:

• hire someone new or upskill an existing employee
• put yourself on an apprenticeship if you are an employee of the business
• employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates, to more mature people, seeking to develop their career.
• get funding from the government to help pay for apprenticeship training
• make NI savings on younger apprentices
• adapt apprenticeship training according to the needs of your business and apprentice
• use apprenticeships as a funded route into ICB membership

Accounting and payroll apprenticeships lead to ICB membership

Apprenticeships make a great alternative route into ICB membership for people who want to earn while they learn, or for employers who want off-the-job training support for their staff.

Once your apprentice has completed their end-point assessment in any of the four ICB-assessed standards, they will be eligible for exemptions from the ICB professional qualifications so they can become an ICB member straight away. 

You can get help from the government to pay for apprenticeship training.

The amount you get depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy or not. You pay the levy if you’re an employer with a pay bill over £3 million each year.

Your training costs could be partly covered depending on your business size and the age of the apprentice. You could receive a government contribution of up to 100%. 

Calculate your estimated training cost funding. 

You could receive additional payments of £1,000 for recruiting: 

• 16 to 18 year olds 
• 19 to 25 year olds who have an education, health and care plan 
• 19 to 25 year olds who have been in local authority care

You can find out each of the funding bands for the ICB-assessed accounting apprenticeships on our website here:

> Apprenticeships

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.

You must pay them at least the National Minimum Wage rate depending on their age and the year of apprenticeship training they’re in.

The rates from April 2024 are:

Paying employer National Insurance contributions

Employers may not need to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions for an apprentice, if the apprentice is:

• under 25 years old
• on an approved UK government apprenticeship standard or framework (for example any of the four ICB-assessed accounting apprenticeships)
• earns less than £967 a week (£50,270 a year)

The apprentice, as an employee, will continue to pay Class 1 insurance contributions through their salary, this will only benefit the employer.

Read HMRC's guidance on paying National Insurance contributions.

Find a business to fund your apprenticeship costs

Large levy-paying businesses who pay the apprenticeship levy can pledge up to 25% of their unspent levy funds to a business of their choice.

You can apply to receive a transfer of funds to cover 100% of your apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum).

You can view all live pledges using the public website. Read the guidance on GOV.UK for further information on how to apply.

Recruiting an accounting apprentice

Whilst you can use an apprenticeship to up-skill existing staff, you may decide to hire someone new and put them on an apprenticeship.

Before you do this, you'll need to think about the right person for you and the benefits they can bring to your organisation.

Most apprenticeship training providers can help you recruit an apprentice. 

You need to think about:

• The salary offer – is it competitive, and will it go up over time?
• How much experience does your candidate need – they may have none
• Why would they want to come and work for you?
• What will you say when they ask about their future career prospects with you?

There are resources to help you find the right apprentice. You could:

• Speak to a apprenticeship training provider
• Hold an open day
• Invite potential apprentices to ‘experience’ a day with you before they join
• Post a job vacancy through gov.uk by setting up an account to manage apprenticeships

Finding an Apprenticeship Training Provider

Apprenticeships are a partnership between the employer and the training provider. The very best training providers will have a hands-on approach from recruitment through to graduation and beyond.

An apprenticeship training provider may also be able to help with:

• Recruiting the right apprentice for you
• Customising the apprenticeship to the needs of your apprentice and your business
• Making sure your apprentice is working in an appropriate environment
• Finding the right pace of learning for your apprentice
• Working with you to make sure your apprentice is learning the right skills in their job

End-Point Assessment 

Once the apprenticeship training is completed an independent End-Point Assessment (EPA) will take place.

ICB is an End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) for:

• Level 3 Payroll Administrator Apprenticeship
  
  
• Level 5 Payroll Assistant Manager Apprenticeship
  
  
• Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship
  
  
• Level 2 Accounts or Finance Assistant Apprenticeship 

The EPA is the apprentice’s opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the duration of their apprenticeship.

When your apprentice successfully completes their apprenticeship and EPA, they will be awarded a certificate. ICB will request the certificate on your behalf.

Conclusion - taking on an accounting apprentice step-by-step

1. Choose one of the ICB-assessed accounting apprenticeship standards here
   

1. Work with your training provider to recruit an apprentice or discuss up-skilling yourself or an existing staff member
   
   
2. Select your apprentice and sign an apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement. These can be found here

Any questions?

If you would like further assistance, you can:

• call us on 0203 405 4000
  
  
• email us via apprenticeships@bookkeepers.org.uk
  
  
• find out more about taking on an apprentice on GOV.UK
  
  
• search for an apprenticeship training provider
  
  
• post a free job vacancy for an apprentice on our website

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