Transforming apprenticeships  

by Richard Ellithorne, BMF Membership Services Director
23 October 2017


BMF training ranges from formal Apprenticeships and sector-specific Diplomas, Degrees and a Masters Degrees in Merchant Leadership and Strategy, to on-line product knowledge and other specialist skills training.  

This is the time of year that many merchants look to take on apprentices, and the first apprentices to be placed by the BMF’s accredited Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) are amongst those starting work.   

As an ATA, the BMF acts as the formal employer of the apprentices who are placed with member companies. This removes potential administrative hurdles making it easy for BMF members to take on an apprentice in any job role.  

The BMF ATA is one of two new services we now offer through BMF Apprenticeships Plus. The other is a Levy Management service, which is proving an attractive option for members who directly employ one or more apprentices.     So how do the two schemes work?  

BMF ATA

This service is ideal for smaller companies who are not currently Levy payers.  However, it is also proving attractive to Levy paying organisations wishing to employ entry level apprentices, as it allows them to dedicate their own levy pot to upskilling existing staff.  

The BMF ATA qualifies as a levy payer so we can recruit and employ the apprentice on behalf of the host member. The ATA oversees all the administrative aspects of the apprenticeship, providing ongoing HR and training support, sourcing and contracting with training providers and funding agencies, and undertaking performance management reviews.  The ATA also applies for relevant incentive payments on the host’s behalf, which can be used to offset their costs, outlined below.  

The host company pays a 10% contribution towards the cost of the training course – normally between £20 and £50 – and a 10% management fee based on the apprentice’s monthly salary.    

Levy Management

As the name implies, this is aimed at larger companies who are Levy Payers that directly employ one or more apprentices.  While such companies are able to contract directly with a training provider, this year’s reformed system transfers ‘ownership’ of apprentices from training providers to employers. This is intended to improve the quality of training, but it will also put a great deal more responsibility on the employer.  

The BMF’s Levy Management Service essentially takes over these responsibilities.  For a small monthly fee, this service will source and contract the training provider and negotiate the cost of apprenticeship training as well as the cost of end point assessments.  It will also manage and monitor monthly payments to training providers and claim additional learning support and employment incentives on the employer’s behalf.  

The service can be used for both new apprentices and existing employees who are being upskilled.  If required, BMF Apprenticeship Plus can also help companies to recruit suitable apprentices.  

BMF Apprenticeship Plus is a hugely exciting initiative for the BMF.  Since launching in May, we are already in dialogue with over 40 member companies who are looking to develop their next generation of employees. By October 47 apprentices will have been recruited through this service, but this is just the start.  This first tranche of enquiries alone could lead to 200 new apprentices joining the industry.

To find out more about BMF Apprenticeship Plus or any aspect of BMF training, contact [email protected] or on 02456 854980.



This article appeared in the October edition of Professional Builders Merchant