Taking on an apprentice in England: the employer steps, pay and funding

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here.

GOV.UK says its employer guidance covers England only, and that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own way to employ an apprentice. The apprenticeship routes themselves, with their levels and typical lengths, are on the apprenticeships by country guide. This page covers what the employer side involves, as the guidance states it on October 9, 2026. Wording is adapted from GOV.UK and Skills England pages published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The steps GOV.UK lists

The step names in quotation marks below are shortened from the source's own step names.

1. “Choose an apprenticeship” For tree work the standards published by Skills England include the Arborist standard, ST0223. Its page lists the approved standard, an end-point assessment plan, and a version log.
2. “Find a training organisation” GOV.UK says an employer finds an organisation that offers training for the chosen apprenticeship.
3. “Check the funding” The funding rules are in the next section.
4. “Create an account” GOV.UK says the account is needed to manage funding and recruit apprentices.
5. “Advertise the apprenticeship” The employer creates an advert, or gives the training provider permission to do it.
6. “Make an apprenticeship agreement and a training plan” with the chosen apprentice.

GOV.UK adds that an employer which does not want to hire and train the apprentice itself can use a flexi-job apprenticeship agency. The apprentice is then employed by the agency and works in the employer's organisation. The guidance says apprentices can be new or existing employees, are aged 16 or over, and that an apprenticeship can take from 8 months to 6 years depending on type and level.

Pay and conditions

The pay page says an apprentice must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. The rate for an apprentice aged 16 to 18, and for an apprentice aged 19 or over in the first year, is GBP 8 per hour. An apprentice aged 19 or over who has finished the first year is entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for their age. The contract of employment is to state the wage and the hours.

The same page sets out conditions. Training must last at least 8 months. The apprentice must be employed in a real job that gives the chance to gain the knowledge and skills needed to pass the assessment. Time spent training or studying is paid, and the apprentice gets time off during the working week for apprenticeship training. The page says apprentices are to be offered the same conditions as other employees in similar roles, which it lists as paid holidays, sick pay and any benefits on offer.

Funding

The funding page says the government pays towards training and assessment up to the funding band maximum, and that the amount depends on whether the employer pays the apprenticeship levy.

Two further payments are listed. An employer that does not pay the levy may be eligible for a hiring payment of up to GBP 2,000 for a 16 to 24 year old apprentice, paid in two instalments of GBP 1,000, at 90 days and at one year. The page also lists GBP 1,000 to support an apprentice aged 16 to 18, or aged 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan or time in care, paid in two instalments of GBP 500. The page says payment depends on the apprentice still being employed on each due date.

On the Arborist standard, the Skills England version log records that the funding band was revised and reduced for starts from April 1, 2024.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Employing an apprentice: overview, read October 9, 2026
• GOV.UK, Employing an apprentice: pay and conditions for apprentices, read October 9, 2026
• GOV.UK, Employing an apprentice: get funding for apprenticeship training, read October 9, 2026
• Skills England, Arborist ST0223 apprenticeship standard, read October 9, 2026