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National College of Education

Employer resources

A library for leaders in UK education.

Practical guides, funding explainers and planning tools for schools, multi-academy trusts, further and higher education, and local authorities running programmes with the National College of Education.

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19 articles

A headteacher welcoming a new apprentice member of staff into a school
Leadership planning· 8 min read

Our free recruitment service for education employers

How NCE sources, screens and places apprentices into your vacancies at no cost, aligns them to your skills gaps, and unlocks the government incentives that make the whole thing close to free.

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A school business manager and headteacher reviewing apprenticeship funding paperwork
Funding· 9 min read

Government incentives for employers hiring an apprentice

Every incentive, payment and exemption an English education employer can claim right now when they take on an apprentice, with the dates and eligibility rules that decide who qualifies.

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Two school leaders reviewing an apprenticeship handbook
Delivery· 12 min read

The employer handbook for NCE apprenticeships

A plain-English guide for schools, trusts and local authorities on what to expect from an NCE apprenticeship, from off-the-job training to end-point assessment.

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Two school leaders interviewing a training provider across a meeting table
Choosing a provider· 8 min read

Provider questions and quality checklist for schools

A practical tool for schools and trusts choosing, reviewing or holding an apprenticeship training provider to account, with due diligence questions and red flags to watch for.

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Neatly stacked folders representing apprenticeship standards
Leadership planning· 7 min read

The school apprenticeship standards directory

A quick-reference directory of the apprenticeship standards most relevant to school settings, grouped by workforce priority to support early identification and planning.

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Weekly planner and calendar being used to schedule off-the-job training
Compliance· 9 min read

Off-the-job training planner for schools

A practical planner that helps schools meet the statutory off-the-job training requirement with clear examples and a weekly template aligned to the 2025 to 2026 rules.

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School business manager reviewing funding rules on a laptop
Funding· 7 min read

Funding rules and policy updates for schools

A clear summary of the current apprenticeship funding rules and policy updates most relevant to schools, written for time-poor HR leads and senior leaders.

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Governors meeting reviewing an apprenticeship business case
Leadership planning· 9 min read

The apprenticeship business case builder

A structured template for school leaders, business managers and HR professionals to build an evidence-based business case for apprenticeship investment.

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Trust finance lead and headteacher reviewing an apprenticeship budget
Funding· 8 min read

Levy and co-investment made simple: a guide for schools

A jargon-free explainer of how the apprenticeship levy, co-investment and levy transfers work in practice for schools, trusts and local-authority settings.

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A hand pointing to a printed funding chart on a meeting-room table
Funding· 6 min read

How co-investment works, and changes month to month

A visual explainer of the co-investment system for apprenticeship funding, particularly relevant for non-levy schools and those working with levy transfers.

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Printed white paper report on a wooden desk with a pen and reading glasses
Policy· 14 min read

White paper: the apprenticeship levy and schools

The NCE white paper on how schools, trusts and local authorities can make the most of the apprenticeship levy under the 2025 to 2026 reforms.

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A school line manager and an apprentice reviewing progress together on a laptop
Delivery· 6 min read

Aptem for employers: reviews, evidence and sign-off

What line managers actually need to do in Aptem, how progress reviews work, what off-the-job sign-off involves, and how to keep it to minutes rather than hours.

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Two trust finance leaders reviewing apprenticeship budget documents in a school office
Funding· 7 min read

Levy transfer: funding apprenticeships with someone else's levy

How levy transfer works, who can send and receive it, what it means for a school or trust that does not pay the levy, and the practical steps to secure a pledge.

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A school business manager setting up an online apprenticeship service account
Delivery· 8 min read

Apprenticeship Service Setup: An Employer Step-by-Step Guide

A practical walkthrough for schools, trusts and education settings creating an apprenticeship service account, adding a training provider and getting a new apprentice ready to start.

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Two school HR staff reviewing an online dashboard together
Delivery· 7 min read

Using the Apprenticeship Service: A Guide for Employers

What the Apprenticeship Service (formerly known as the Digital Apprenticeship Service) does, and how education employers use it day to day to manage funding, providers and apprentices.

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Employer FAQs

Employer FAQs, everything HR, finance and central teams want to know.

Practical answers on levy strategy, funding rules, quality assurance, compliance and how NCE partnerships actually run day-to-day.

Funding and the levy4 questions
Can I use the apprenticeship levy to pay wages?+
No. The apprenticeship levy can only be used to pay for apprenticeship training and end-point assessment. Apprentice wages, staff cover and travel costs remain the employer's responsibility. Many employers choose to align apprenticeship training with their wider workforce development plans to maximise the value of their existing training budgets.
We do not have a large enough wage bill for the levy. Can we still access these programmes?+
Yes. Non-levy employers pay just 5 percent of the cost of each programme, with the government funding the remaining 95. You can also receive Apprenticeship Levy Transfers from larger employers, and NCE can often broker these transfers on your behalf so your effective cost is nil.
How do I set up a Digital Apprenticeship Service account?+
Setting up a DAS account is straightforward and takes around 20 minutes. Full guidance is on gov.uk under 'Manage apprenticeship funds', and your NCE partnership lead will walk you through the process, including linking your PAYE scheme and adding your people.
What happens to levy funds if we do not use them?+
New, unused levy funds expire 12 months after they enter your account and return to the Treasury. A trust-wide or organisation-wide plan converts that stranded spend into workforce capability before the clock runs out and the funds are gone. Funds added to the levy on or before 31st July 2026 expire after 24 months.
Quality and compliance4 questions
How do I know NCE programme training is high quality?+
NCE is on the government's Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) as a main provider, inspected by Ofsted under the Education Inspection Framework for FE and Skills, and audited by the Education Skills and Funding Agency. Retention to completion sits at 97 percent.
How do you handle off-the-job training compliance?+
Every learner has a planned learning timetable that meets the 20 percent statutory off-the-job requirement across their working hours. Evidence is captured in the portfolio and reported to you in-cycle, so audit and inspection preparation is continuous, not last-minute.
What safeguarding and Prevent policies apply on our programmes?+
NCE operates full safeguarding, Prevent Duty and equality, diversity and inclusion policies aligned with the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. All learners complete safeguarding induction, and dedicated Designated Safeguarding Leads sit within the college team.
Who owns the End-Point Assessment relationship?+
NCE manages the End-Point Assessment (EPA) organisation relationship on your behalf, including gateway sign-off, scheduling and evidence submission. You approve gateway readiness, we handle the logistics and the EPA fee.
Working with NCE4 questions
How quickly can we get a cohort started?+
Most cohorts move from Discovery to first learning session inside eight weeks. Where DAS access is already live and the standard is one of our regular pathways, September and January starts can be turned around faster.
Who is our day-to-day contact?+
One named partnership lead, a senior member of the college team, supported by a delivery director and an operations coordinator. No rotating account managers, no offshore support desk.
How is impact reported back to us?+
You receive a consolidated dashboard covering levy spend, forecast, learner status, off-the-job compliance and outcomes. Quarterly impact reviews are board-ready and mapped to the objectives you set at Discovery.
Can we blend learners from multiple sites or academies into one cohort?+
Yes, and most trust and local authority partners do exactly this. Cross-site cohorts build shared practice, reduce cost per head and create a common workforce identity across your organisation.

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