Demystifying degree apprenticeships with the University of Sussex

The University of Sussex have been partnering with businesses to provide degree apprenticeship programmes in the South East for several years now. Employers often contact us excited by the prospect of upskilling their existing staff, but with worries about the practicalities of the apprenticeship programme.

Here are a few of the common questions we get from local businesses, to help demystify the process.

Are we too small a business to be able to have an apprentice?

Even small enterprises can take on an apprentice – if you are a registered company, big enough to employ someone, then that someone could be an apprentice. The size of your company only affects how it can be funded. Many start-ups take an apprentice as their first employee reaping benefits of the apprentice growing with the business.

We’ve not had an apprentice before - and we’re worried about coping with the admin?

At Sussex we have a team that help you through the whole administrative process from applying and funding an apprenticeship course, through to registration and any admin requirements that arise from the regular reviews, right through to the end of the apprenticeship.  Many of our apprentice employers say the process is much easier than they thought it would be.

Finances are tight and we won’t be able to afford to fund their training?

If you have a salary bill large enough to pay the Apprenticeship Levy, 100% of your apprenticeship training costs will be covered by this.

Smaller companies that don’t pay the levy will still be able to access at least 95% of the training costs. Providers can help increase this, even arranging a transfer of another company’s spare levy fund to make this 100% funded. You must pay the apprentice at least minimum wage, but many of our employers use an apprenticeship to upskill existing staff and continue paying their current wage.

We’re worried that once our staff have gained their new qualification that they’ll just leave?

Most employers say that apprenticeships boost staff retention and research supports this. A report published in 2022 by the Department of Education found that 62% of employers reported all their apprentices stayed working for the company after completing their apprenticeship. The same report said that 76% of employers found that training existing employees as apprentices improved their all around staff retention and motivation.  

Will letting an employee work 4 days a week while they study will put a strain on the rest of the team?

Being seen to invest in staff development is great for staff morale and apprentices become more focussed and productive as they learn - so by planning workflow ahead, employers can manage staffing challenges. Some apprenticeships offer flexibility in their delivery, condensing their study time on campus into study blocks rather than one day a week. This is something that can be looked at dependent on employer needs.  

The University of Sussex are currently working with local employers to develop new apprenticeships, including Project Manager, Youth Worker and Electronic Systems Engineer. 

You can find out more and sign up for alerts when new level 6 apprenticeships are launched on the form here.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk