An apprenticeship is a job with an integrated formal training program. 

Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes that are designed to help employers and individuals train for specific job roles. Apprentices get a paying job with valuable training while working towards a nationally recognised apprenticeship standard. 

Both new and existing staff may embark on an apprenticeship. 

The EYE level 3 apprenticeship is ideal for someone looking to pursue a career as an Early Years Educator, Nursery Teaching Assistant, Nursery Nurse, Supervisor, or Child Minder. 

 It is suitable for either someone already working in or someone looking for a career in, an early years childcare and education setting.  

 Early Years Educators work with and care for children from birth to 5 years. They play a massive role in supporting children to have the best start to their education. Research shows disadvantaged children are four months behind at age 5, 10 months behind by the age of 11, and 19 months behind when they reach 16. As an Early Years specialist, you will personally help to close the gap and increase the life chances of the children you work with.

There are no age restrictions.  

There are residency conditions:  

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules-for-employer-providers/annex-a-eligibility-criteria-who-we-fund  

GCSE’s in English and Maths at Grade C (4) or above or able to achieve Level 2 English and maths whilst on programme 

• Certificates or evidence on the PLR will be required for an exemption from sitting English and maths.  
• Lost certificates – please contact your awarding body for copies 
• If you have no evidence, we will support you to achieve Level 2 Functional skills 

The apprentice is paid a lawful wage 

The apprentice cannot contribute towards the cost of the apprenticeship 

An initial assessment must consider whether the individual already possesses any of the training content e.g. the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship: 

• It is important to know the apprentice’s starting point so that the training plan does not duplicate prior learning. 
• Any existing relevant qualifications will be checked against the Apprenticeship Standard criteria during the initial assessment to ensure there is no duplication.  
• Significant new learning must be required.  

Only knowledge, skills and behaviours in the Apprenticeship Standard are relevant, existing non-relevant qualifications at the same or higher level do not exempt learners from the programme, e.g. a degree in landscape design 

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/operations-departmental-manager/  

Typically, 15 to 18 months duration.

The apprenticeship is a work-based qualification, which means that the majority of the training and assessment for the apprenticeship will be completed at your workplace. You will need to build an apprenticeship e-Portfolio of evidence. Your Apprenticeship Tutor will observe you in the workplace and guide you on which pieces of work-based evidence are suitable for your e-Portfolio. 

Delivery will also be through webinars, online courses and briefings and three face to face training days offsite (dependant on current legislation). 

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will have monthly remote visits and three-monthly face to face visits (dependant on current legislation) with your Apprenticeship Tutor to carry out reviews and observations and support you and your employer. 

Once you have completed all the criteria for the apprenticeship and mock tests you will have a gateway meeting with your Tutor and Line Manager/Mentor to agree you are ready for your End Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is completed to assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours that you have learnt throughout the apprenticeship.  

If you are over 19 you must be paid at least the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage of £4.15 an hour, however many employers pay more than this and the average weekly wage is £200.  

If you are 19 after completing the first year of your apprenticeship, you must be paid at least the full National Minimum Wage. 

All apprentices are employed and have a contract of employment. You are counted as a regular employee so get all the benefits such as holiday and sick leave as well. 

On-programme assessment 

You must achieve the following on-programme assessment requirements prior to Gateway:  

• Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification  
• Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) or Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF)  
• Level 2 English and maths 

Gateway requirements 

The decision to take an apprentice through Gateway is made between the employer, Independent Training Provider and apprentice. The apprentice must have achieved all the required on-programme elements before they enter Gateway, including the completion of a Portfolio of Evidence that will underpin the Professional Discussion (video evidence can be withheld for the IEPA to view at the employer’s premises). 

End-point assessment (EPA) 

The EPA for Early Years Educator contains 2 methods of assessment as outlined below: 

• Knowledge Test  

The Knowledge Test features 35 multiple choice questions carrying one mark each. The assessment will either be computer-based or paper-based, sat under controlled conditions and will last for 60 minutes. It will test the apprentice’s knowledge requirements as outlined in the standard.  

Grade weighting - The Knowledge Test is ungraded above a Pass. The apprentice must correctly answer a minimum of 23 questions (including all 5 safeguarding questions) to achieve a Pass.  

• Professional Discussion underpinned by a Portfolio  

The Professional Discussion is a structured discussion of 90 minutes (+/- 10%), underpinned by the Portfolio. The Professional Discussion will offer a full synoptic assessment of the apprentice, testing aspects of knowledge, skills and behaviours identified in the assessment plan. The Portfolio of Evidence will be completed during the on-programme learning and will enable the IEPA to prepare for the Professional Discussion. It should cover the knowledge, skills and behaviours to be assessed by the Professional Discussion.  

 Grade weighting - The Professional Discussion is graded as Fail, Pass or Distinction by the IEPA. 

Grade aggregation table 

There are three levels of Apprenticeship: 

Level 2: Intermediate Level Apprenticeship (equivalent to five A* GCSEs) 

Level 3: Advanced Level Apprenticeship (equivalent to two A-Levels) 

Level 4, 5 and 6: Higher Apprenticeship (Foundation degree level) 

It is up to you what you do when you have finished your apprenticeship. There may be an opportunity to stay on at the same company and progress to the next level of apprenticeship or you may want to look for a new job or professional development opportunity. 

Applying for an apprenticeship is like applying for a job so you will have to go through an application process. 

Yes, apprentices can move employers but they must check that the new employer is happy to support them on the programme and the employer will need to complete checks and contracts with us first. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-off-the-job-training  

• Off-the-job training is about upskilling an individual to reach full occupational competency, not accrediting their existing skills. 
• Off-the-job training must make up at least 20% of the apprentice’s normal working hours (paid hours excluding overtime) over the planned duration of the apprenticeship.  
• Off-the-job training must be away from the apprentice’s normal working duties and must teach new knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to their specific apprenticeship. 

• You can deliver off-the-job training in the apprentice’s normal workplace or at an external location.  
• Progress reviews and on-programme assessment do not count towards 20% off-the-job training. 
• Apprentices may choose to spend additional time training outside paid hours, but this must not be required to complete the apprenticeship. 
• If training must, by exception, take place outside of the apprentice’s normal working hours, e.g. in an evening or at a weekend for an apprentice that normally works Monday to Friday between 9-5, we would expect this to be recognised, for example through time off in lieu or by an additional payment to the apprentice. 

Benefits of OJT 

Apprenticeships are about upskilling an individual. Reaching occupational competency takes time.  

• Many employers and apprentices have praised the positive effect off-the-job training has on their productivity  
• Apprentices feel valued by the significant investment in their training.  
• It can be delivered flexibly, for example, as a part of each day, one day per week, one week out of five or as block release.
• You may already have existing training programmes or materials you can use to deliver elements of the apprentice’s off-the-job training. 
• We have developed a range of delivery styles to suit employer and apprentice needs. Employers should work with us to decide when and where off-the-job training should take place and who is best placed to deliver it. 
• Learning support - To be successful, learners may need a range of approaches and support, which will be targeted appropriately. As well as material assistance, such as physical adjustments or access to accessibility software, some apprentices may benefit from additional time, revision or personal support from their training provider, to help them to stay on track and to achieve specific knowledge, skills and behaviours.  
• Develops strategic leadership skills and behaviours 
• Improves core management techniques 
• Focused learning experience
• Builds leadership capabilities to motivate and inspire your teams 
• Builds self-awareness 
• Addresses real organisational issues 
• For those that are engaged on an apprenticeship there may be an initial loss of productivity, due to the time the apprentice is engaged in training, but in the long term the new skills that the person brings back to the workplace, which makes them fully occupationally competent, should compensate for this. 
• The importance of off-the-job training to a quality apprenticeship was emphasised in the Richard Review of Apprenticeships and more recently in Taking Training Seriously, a report by the Gatsby Foundation which compared English apprenticeships to those in other countries. This report reinforced the need for off-the-job training and concluded that 20% should be the bare minimum if England is to compete with the strongest apprenticeship programmes internationally. 
• Ofsted and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) have also highlighted the importance of off-the-job training to a quality apprenticeship in their various publications.  
• A key element of Ofsted’s inspection regime is a judgement about how well apprentices make progress from their starting points i.e. what an apprentice can do as a result of their training and experience on the apprenticeship programme that they were unable to do before. 

OJT examples 

• Research 
• Networking events 
• Seminars  
• Shadowing others  
• Employer induction programme, e.g. conflict resolution and corporate induction as these are part of the required knowledge. 
• Reflective learning 
• Self-directed distance learning (where the apprentice is working on their own with no real-time support) 
• Interactive online learning (virtual classrooms where the learner can receive support, in real-time, from their training provider).  
• Practical training 
• Mentoring 
• Time writing assignments 
• Lectures, role-playing, simulation exercises 
• Online learning 
• Industry visits 
• Learning support 

£6,000 but: 

Apprenticeship funding is available for employers from the government. The size of the funding employers receive varies depending on whether they pay the apprenticeship levy or not. Non-levy paying companies currently pay 5% of the cost with the government paying the rest. For levy-paying employers, the funds are drawn from their levy accounts or topped up by the government if they have insufficient funds. 

https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/employer/how-much-is-it-going-to-cost  

• The entire apprenticeship is eligible for funding 
• The apprentice cannot pay towards an apprenticeship 
• Resits may incur extra costs to the employer 

How are apprenticeships paid for and are they affordable? 

Payments are spread across the entire lifetime of the apprenticeship - taken each month by your training provider. This means that you don’t have to meet the full cost of the apprenticeship at the start of the training. You just need enough funds in your account to meet the monthly payments. In addition, 20% of the cost of the apprenticeship will be held back and taken from your Apprenticeship Service (AS) online account at the end of the apprenticeship. 

Do Levy funds run out? 

Yes. Levy funds will expire 24 months after they enter your digital account unless you spend them on apprenticeship training. For example, funds that entered your account in July 2019 will expire in July 2021. If you don’t use them, you will lose them. The account works on a first-in, first-out basis. Whenever a payment is taken from your digital account it automatically uses the funds that entered your account first. 

What happens if an employer’s Levy funds don’t cover the full cost of training? 

If an employer pays the Apprenticeship Levy but their funds do not cover the full cost of the apprenticeship training, then additional support is available. The government will pay 95% of the additional costs (up to the maximum of the relevant funding band) - with you as the employer ‘co-investing’ 5%.