1. Under the government’s new funding arrangements for training apprenticeships, how much has your local authority contributed to the apprenticeship levy for this financial year 2017/2018?
Devon County Council does not hold this information; it does fluctuate slightly as it is based on our pay bill each month and at the moment, as the levy only came in from April 2017, we haven’t got a full year figure. We can at this stage only estimate it to be in the region of £1 million.
2. Please can you:
a. Supply a copy of your model apprenticeship agreement or/and apprenticeship policy/ guidelines. If you do not have one, please state.
We do not have a specific policy but we do have a vision for our use of apprenticeship qualifications which states that:
• Our approach will support the Council’s purpose, strategic direction and wider economic and other related strategic aspirations and priorities for Devon
• Our apprenticeship offer will ensure that:
o we actively consider the use of apprenticeships as part of our workforce planning activity and therefore comply with our Public Sector Duty
o apprenticeship training provides a route into employment with the Council
o apprenticeship training is aligned with our resourcing and development needs and supports progression within the organisation
o we utilise apprenticeship training for existing as well as new staff, of all ages and at a range of levels.
• We maximise use of our Levy and aim to achieve the Public Sector Target
• Our approach aims to balance out our age profile, broaden participation from all societal groups and supports our Corporate Parenting responsibilities
• We actively work with partners and others in Devon to promote and offer apprenticeship opportunities.
b. State which of the following levels of apprenticeship training is available by your local authority and state the apprentice full time weekly Pay for each:
I. Level 2
II. Level 3
III. Level 4
IV. Level 5
V. Other (please specify)
These rates relate to new entrants to the Council’s corporate apprenticeship scheme.
I. Level 2 = £7.78 per hour
II. Level 3 = £7.78 per hour
III. Level 4 = £8.36 – £9.21 per hour
IV. Level 5 = N/A at the moment
3. Apprentices employed on a contract of training of one year or more will receive annual incremental pay rises. Please supply a copy of the currently agreed pay scales applicable to apprentices employed by your local authority.
This is available on our website at:
Further , we can confirm that apprentices are paid on the same payscale as other staff so the pay scales will apply to them. Most are on Grade A but we have some on higher grades, determined through the usual job evaluation process
4. For 2015, what was the:
a. Total number of new apprentices employed:
I. Full time
II. Part time
Full time 22
Part time 1
b. Total number of existing staff employed on an apprenticeship scheme:
I. Full time
II. Part time
Not applicable
c. Total number of apprenticeships that were completed
27
d. Total number of new apprentices that gained further employment.
12
5. For 2016, what was the:
a. Total number of new apprentices employed:
I. Full time
II. Part time
Full time 18
b. Total number of existing staff employed on an apprenticeship scheme:
I. Full time
II. Part time
Not applicable
c. Total number of apprenticeships completed
24
d. Total number of new apprentices that gained employment
11
6. For the current year 2017, please:
a. State the total number of new apprentices employed:
I. Full time
II. Part time
Full time 31
b. State the total number of existing staff employed on an apprenticeship scheme:
c.
I. Full time
II. Part time
Full time 3
Part time 4
d. State the total number of apprenticeships completed
23
e. Total number of new apprentices that have gained employment up to September 2017
12
f. Supply a breakdown showing the current number of apprentices employed for each job role/function
• Accountancy – 3
• Civil Engineering – 8
• Office Support Assistant – 25
• Personal Assistant (PA) – 3
• School Administrator – 1 (data held post levy)
• Teaching Assistant – 9 (data held post levy)
• Town Planning – 2
• Transport Planning – 2
g. Supply a breakdown showing the current number of new and existing apprentices by race, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation.
This information is not currently held by Devon County Council.
7. What terms and conditions are all your apprentices employed on? For example JNC, NJC, SJC, or other (please specify)
NJC for Local Government Services
8. When creating new and existing apprenticeships in your local authority, does your recruitment policy and procedures encourage managers not to create apprenticeship opportunities to replace jobs which have been deleted and not to replace employees in any circumstances?
No we encourage managers to consider how they might be able to utilise apprenticeship qualifications in all roles for new and existing staff
9. Does your local authority add apprenticeships clauses to relevant tender specifications and encourage existing contractors to implement apprenticeship programmes in their contracts?
No not currently but we are exploring this