A Guide to Apprenticeships in the UK
The following interactive guide has been created by SQA to help you better understand the differences in apprenticeship policy across the four home nations. The guide provides an overview on apprenticeships in each country and provides useful links to find further information, if required.
You can read the full guide here: A Guide to Apprenticeships in the UK (409 KB)
Alternatively, you can view the interactive table below which provides an overview on the changes in each country.
| Question | Scotland | England | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who approves Apprenticeships? | Modern Apprenticeship Group | Institute for Apprenticeships | Gov.Wales | Dept for the Economy |
| Who is the qualifications regulator? | SQA - Accreditation | Ofqual qualifications | Qualification Wales | CCEA |
| What is the Apprenticeship target? | 30,000 new starts by 2020 | 3,000,000 new starts by 2020 | 100,000 starts during the current Administration | None confirmed. Approx 6000 starts 2015/16 |
| Does the Levy apply? | Yes - 0.5% levy on total staff payroll over £3m. Read More. | Yes - 0.5% levy on total staff payroll over £3m. Read More. | Yes - 0.5% levy on total staff payroll over £3m. Read More. | Yes - 0.5% levy on total staff payroll over £3m. Read More. |
| What will the levy fund? How is it administered? | Apprenticeships only - Digital account for Levy payers/ Funding allocation for non-levy (interim) Apprenticeship Service | Policy under development | Policy under consultation | |
| What Levels of Apprenticeships are available? | Modern, Foundation, Graduate, (technical / professional) | Intermediate, Higher, Advanced, Graduate | Foundation, Apprenticeships, Higher Apprenticeships | Level 2, Level 3, Higher Apprenticeships |
| Do Frameworks or Standards apply? | Frameworks | Standards* | Frameworks | Frameworks |
| Is End Point Assessment mandatory? | Non Mandatory | Mandatory | Non Mandatory | Non Mandatory |
| Does the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers apply? | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Who is the relevant funding body? | Skills Development Scotland | Education & Skills Funding Agency | Gov.Wales | Department for the Economy (DfE) |
| Is there a training federation supporting providers and stakeholders? | Scottish Training Federation (STF) Colleges Scotland | Association of Employment & Training Providers (AELP) Association of Colleges | National Training Federation Wales (NTFW) | N/A - Employer/Sector led |
| Where can I find information on the funding rates? | Skills Development Scotland | The Education & Skills Funding Agency | Gov.Wales | NIDirect.gov |
*Frameworks still exist in certain sectors (e.g. Maritime) which have yet to transfer over to the new apprenticeship standards.