Find out whether you could get funding for an apprentice and how to apply.
Read all of the information on this page before you start your application. You can find a link to the application form at the top of the page.
Find out more about employing an apprentice.
The opportunity to apply for funding is open continuously, depending on the funds remaining available. We'll contact you within 15 working days of the form submission to inform you whether your application was successful.
Levy transfer funding must be for a new apprenticeship start.
We're unable to support apprentices who have already started their apprenticeship with you when we receive the application.
If you're applying to support a redundant apprentice, send an email to apprenticeships@brighton-hove.gov.uk alongside completing the application.
We can support employers in the city to take on new apprentices and develop the skills of existing employees. We do this by transferring apprenticeship levy funds that we’re not using. Or, in the situation where a new employee starting with the organisation is part way through their apprenticeship training.
We are not able to transfer funds for apprenticeships that have already started in a business.
As a large levy-paying employer, Brighton & Hove City Council can now transfer up to 50% of its apprenticeship levy funds to other employers in the city.
This will support our City Employment and Skills Plan and other strategic aims to help boost the number of high-quality apprenticeships in the city.
This transfer of funds does not mean that we will manage or support the apprentice or apprenticeship.
We will only provide the transfer in accordance with the ESFA funding rules. So, please make sure you meet any eligibility criteria.
Transfers of funds are subject to state aid regulations. For any transfer you receive, a percentage of the transferred funds will count towards your de minimis state aid limit. Your training provider should be able to give you more advice about this.
To apply for levy transfer funds, you must be a non-levy payer and one of the following:
You must show how your apprenticeship will contribute to at least one of these strategic priority aims:
You must also:
Before you apply, you'll need to choose a training provider and agree on the cost of the apprenticeship training. This must include the End Point Assessment. Please note, that we can only transfer funds within the funding band limit for the apprenticeship.
To contact the National Apprenticeship Service for advice, or help using the service, phone 0800 015 0600.
Please complete one application for each individual apprenticeship funding request. We may restrict the number of applications per organisation depending on funding availability.
You must only use the funds for training and assessment for:
The training provider also needs to confirm they’ll accept the apprentice before we transfer the funds.
We'll review your application within 15 working days of receiving the application to let you know the outcome of your application.
If there are not enough funds to cover all the applications that meet the selection criteria, we'll decide who's the best fit. We'll base this on the strategic priority aims and scoring criteria.
Where applications are scored equally and funds are limited, the lowest-cost programmes will be prioritised.
If you have any questions, send an email to apprenticeships@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
Being able to train employees to company standards right from the start is a key advantage cited by Carden IT Services Ltd.
All the apprentices they have recruited on their Level 3 Infrastructure Technician programme over the last 5 years have stayed with the company.
Co-founder and Director, Dave King, said:
“Recruiting apprentices and then keeping them on as valued members of our team saves us money on recruitment. And they’re trained up for the way we like to work, which results on an increase in profits.
“We’ve found it really rewarding to watch them grow within the business and achieve their goals to become skilled in the world of IT.
“It’s great to chat with them at the end of their courses and reflect on where they have started and how well they have done.
“The levy transfer scheme has been a really good incentive, and we’re already looking to take on more apprentices.”
Search and social marketing agency, Seed, has hired more than 5 digital marketing apprentices, 2 supported through the Brighton & Hove City Council levy transfer scheme.
CEO & Founder of Seed, Nick Stuart-Miller said:
“The apprenticeship model has worked well for us because we were able to hire young people who are highly motivated to learn and develop their careers.”
“Also, because digital moves so quickly, we find that graduates at university level often haven’t kept up to date with industry changes.
“So, there is no better way to learn than by working within the industry.
“The positives of the apprenticeship programme far outweigh the challenges.
“It’s really rewarding to train someone and watch them develop from having very limited knowledge into a seriously valued member of your team.”
Tia did a digital marketing apprenticeship with the volunteering app onHand.
“My degree in animation and previous experience were very niche. The apprenticeship has given me not just qualifications and work experience but also a clearer vision of my future career prospects.
“It was such a fab feeling to see results and achievements that I had contributed to in real time. I loved the analytical and creative elements, and the people I worked with were fantastic!
“I now have a multitude of transferable digital skills and, with more businesses going online, am in a position to consider lots of different career paths.
“I think it can be very rewarding for both parties. My employer invested a lot of time and energy in me, and I feel like I gave them a lot back too. It was challenging but brilliant!”
You can explore other opportunities to get support via the levy transfer scheme.
The following organisations are also supporting employers to access apprenticeship training through the levy transfer scheme:
Go to their websites for more details on the criteria and the application process.