Funding to train your apprentices

Employers based in Lancashire have the opportunity to bid for surplus Apprenticeship Levy funds and access high-quality training for their organisation.

Since April 2017, the County Council has been paying into the Apprenticeship Levy.  This has provided an opportunity for the Council to upskill their existing staff and recruit new apprentices into their organisation.

This funding is available to organisations for the following sectors: health and social care, disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, the voluntary sector, the digital sector, engineering and construction or education or early years setting.

Information regarding the full list of apprenticeship qualifications and local providers are listed on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website.

Other eligibility criteria for our offer

  • Employers must be based within Lancashire.
  • Apprentices must be paid at least apprentice national minimum wage.
  • There must be an approved apprenticeship standard relevant for the role (frameworks are not included).
  • Transferred levy funds can only be used to pay for apprenticeship training. Funding rules dictate that they cannot be used to fund salary, travel expenses or professional membership fees.
  • Your request must be for future apprenticeships. The request cannot be backdated on training that has already commenced.
  • Applying organisations will be required to complete an additional application agreement which includes the apprentice's name and to provide regular updates to Lancashire County Council on the progress of the apprentice to enable us to monitor our funding commitments. 
  • Organisations can apply to have up to 5 current apprentices at any one time, and we may cap to total number that any one training provider has at any one time. Please apply at least 2 months before you expect your apprentices start to allow for the processing of your request and approval on the Levy Transfer Network.
  • In order to apply your organisation must already have a Digital Apprenticeship Service account, which you must appoint a named person within your organisation as our main our contract, to provide updates and add apprentices. All requests must be sent and accepted by this person only, we will not accept any transfer where training providers are administering your account on your behalf.
  • You will be required to agree to your responsibility, as the receiving employer, to ensure compliance with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Apprenticeship Funding Rules.
  • You will also need to know the name of the apprenticeship you want use from the Institute for Apprenticeship and technical Education (IFATE).

Please note: We are not currently accepting any new Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Requests, however to find out more and find alternative organisations who have current available funding please see the Lancashire Levy Transfer Network.

If you want to find out more about Apprenticeships or the Apprenticeship Levy Transfers please Click Here. If you require any additional information or guidance, please contact the Apprenticeships Team on 01772 530505 or email apprenticetransfers@lancashire.gov.uk.