Apprenticeships information for employers

The apprenticeships featured in this section are only open to agencies with English offices; the three devolved governments have their own schemes.

An Agency View of the Importance of Apprenticeships to Inclusion and to Entry Level Careers

Read the opinion of Kandice Quain, Media Manager at Bray Leino and iLister, on why learning through employer-funded apprenticeships gives opportunities to people from all backgrounds, regardless of socioeconomic status. And it is so worthwhile employing an apprentice. True's Ellie Nicolaou writes about her experience as an Account Executive Apprentice in Adland - no fluff, no filler, just a first-hand look at how she thinks, works, and rewrites the rules as a Gen Z.

A major benefit of hiring apprentices is that you don’t pay National Insurance on any under 25. This equates to at least 13.8% of their pay packet!

The IPA continues to lobby the Government, Skills England and all relevant stakeholders. As part of an Advertising Association Skills and Growth Group, which we chaired, we published a report ‘Unlocking Apprenticeships to Drive Growth’.  It argued for nine reforms, including paying for the first year of entry level salaries and the ability to use any apprenticeship from all four home nations UK wide. Given that (according to the CBI) only 5% of businesses think the levy system should stay as it is we will continue to lobby.

Changes to Apprenticeships Effective October 2025

At the time of writing (October 2025), we are still waiting for some details, e.g. what short courses can be funded by the Growth and Skills Levy. 

In the meantime, here are the changes to apprenticeships already announced:

1. The Apprentice Levy is now renamed The Growth and Skills Levy
2. It can now also pay for short courses, although we don’t know what subjects these will be or the trainers.  It is likely to be digital and AI, however, as they plan to follow the sector plans.  More information will be available in the new year with courses starting in April 2026.
3. Foundation Apprenticeships. The minimum duration has been reduced from 12 to 8 months, lowering the time to competency.  So far, there have not been any written for our sector.  Which is a pity because there is an employer incentive of £2,000.  Theoretically, this will help where candidates with too much prior learning were not eligible for an apprenticeship; however, it is not at all clear how.
4. 20%/six hours off the job is being phased out, and each apprenticeship will need to state the minimum. However, they still need enough time to study, although applying learning will be a factor.  We suggest that training providers advise on this for now.
5. Funding for Level 7 (master’s degree level) has been withdrawn from candidates 22+. As this comes into effect in January 2026, there is something of a rush to use levy money to upskill existing senior staff on the Leadership Standard before then.  However, those under 22 will still be fundable, although there are few suitable Level 7 apprenticeships that an agency would fund for a junior person coming into the workplace.This is part of Government policy to rebalance apprenticeships to help the NEETs.
6. Up to 50% of the levy can now be transferred.
7. Employers can now decide if the apprentice needs English and Maths GCSEs.
8. The assessment principles have changed.  It will no longer be only at the end point, nor will only end point assessment organisations be able to measure some competencies. While the flexibility to test to avoid duplication is good, it is strange that a training provider may be marking some of their own homework.

A Summary of the Apprenticeship Levy in England

Levy payers:

• English firms with an annual salary bill of over £3 million pay 0.5% of that into a levy pot. This is done monthly to spread the cost over the year. If you are uncertain if you pay or don’t do check with your Finance Director.  Experience suggests agencies with about 50 people and above fall into that bracket. However, because the levy has not been adjusted for inflation, more and more agencies fall into the levy paying pot, and it becomes a disincentive to hire. Moreover, the CBI reports that the Government is considering lowering the eligibility threshold down to £2M.
• The levy money is held for you by Government and it can only be ‘drawn down’ to pay for apprentice training with a registered apprenticeship training provider. 
• Once you reach two year’s worth of the levy money any unspent is taken back by Government, monthly.  You add to it monthly and it gets taken away monthly. Training providers are also paid monthly (which can be an advantage if your apprentice leaves the programme, you do not owe any more than the months they were on it.)
• Many agencies have two year’s worth of levy money unused and it is estimated that our industry gives back 78%, £5.6M (IPA 2024 Census) to Government.  Some Finance Directors see it just as a tax and are not convinced by apprenticeships – they can, very unfairly, be seen as just adding to the headcount someone who will have to spend 6 hours of their time on off-the-job learning and will take at least a year to be useful.
• You can transfer up to 50% of your levy money to other companies but the rules for this are quite complex and it is not clear if agencies in the same group could do it.

Non levy payers:

• Agencies who do not qualify for the levy have an advantage in that they can apply to Government to pay for 95% of an apprentice’s training and may be able to benefit from the levy transfer to pay the other 5%. In addition, they can receive 100% if the apprentice is under 25.

Everyone:

• Employers can receive an additional £1,000 cash payment on top of the standard government funding if they employ a new apprentice, rather than upskilling an existing employee, who is either: aged 16-18 years old or under 25 and has an education, health and care plan, or has been in the care of their local authority.
• A good training provider is vital because they understand the system and can help you draw down the money from your online account either from your pot or from Government.
• The levy money also pays for the end point assessment done by a specialist firm who have not been involved in the training
• You can hire someone and then use levy money to train them against an apprentice standard and this is often a way 18-23-year-olds enter our industry, for example on the Advertising and Media Executive Apprenticeship.  But please note, there is no age limit.
• You can also use levy money to up or reskill existing staff.  That might be to retrain someone as e.g. a content creator or it might be ‘soft skills’ like your senior people and a leadership apprenticeship or giving someone craft skills such as data analysis or adding to their repertoire with an apprenticeship in coaching.
• Please note – although we campaign for the levy to be used more flexibly, perhaps to pay entry-level salaries, this has not been taken up by Government.  “Agencies frequently tell us that the apprentice system is overly rigid and doesn’t reflect the real-world needs of our industry — making it difficult to spend levy money in meaningful ways. As a result, it’s often seen as just another tax. Previous reforms, such as the levy transfer, have made only a marginal difference. The number one request is for agencies to be allowed to spend some of their levy funds on entry-level salaries. This change would help unlock a generation of talent — particularly among the nearly one million young people not in education, training or work — and offer them fulfilling careers in our thriving industry.” Paul Bainsfair, Director General, IPA.

Information on how the apprenticeships are set up in the devolved administrations

Please note the levy collection method is UK-wide, but how it is administered in each of the devolved nations is different and with different apprentice standards

• Wales
• Scotland
• Ireland

In Scotland

The below is an example of how another home nation differs from England.

Who pays and rights

The system and apprenticeships are different in Scotland but the levy arrangement is the same i.e. businesses with a salary bill of £3M plus pay into a pot; however, there is more flexibility in how you can spend it – not just on apprenticeship training but other vocational ways.

But businesses under that: Employers who do not pay the levy can still seek funding for Modern Apprenticeships in the usual way. The Scottish Government via Skills Development Scotland contributes to the costs of training for apprentices aged 16-24, (and 25+ for some frameworks):

• For apprentices aged 16-19 years – apprenticeship training costs are fully funded.
• For apprentices aged 20-24 years – a proportion of the training costs will be covered with employers meeting the rest.

As for their rights, Scotland is different to England and Wales - in Scotland, an apprentice can only be made redundant or dismissed in very limited circumstances, such as the employer going out of business. A downturn in trade is not usually enough to make an apprentice redundant.

Types

There are three types of apprenticeship - Foundation, Modern, Graduate. Here is information about the first two.

Foundation helps young people gain valuable, real-world work experience/training while still at school.  There is no cost to the business (except time) and it helps a company’s recruitment pipeline by spotting talent early. The most relevant FA for our industry is 'Creative and Digital Media' which the 16 plus student does at school alongside other subjects and as part of it there is a work placement. It combines creative and digital but you'd need to find a school that offers this subject:

‘As part of your National Progression Award, your topics will include:

• Creative Industries: An Introduction – Scotland
• Creative Industries: Understanding a Creative Brief
• Media: Understanding the Creative Process
• Storytelling for the Creative Industries

For your Diploma units, you’ll be assessed as part of your work placement. You’ll learn how to:

• Work with others in the Creative Industries
• Communicate using digital marketing/sales channels
• Use digital and social media in marketing campaigns

Your Foundation Apprenticeship will also help you to develop core skills valued by employers, particularly:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Working with others
• Time management

There are many more Modern Apprenticeships where individuals earn a wage and gain a qualification.  They can be new staff or existing, for example, ‘Creative Media’.

"Whether you are a storyteller, artist, techie or designer, there is a job for you in Scotland’s creative sector. It covers broadcasting, TV, journalism, design, textiles, publishing, gaming and more. Learn how to write memorable stories as a journalist. Develop eye-catching art as a graphic designer. Discover what it takes to create the next online craze as a gaming technician."

This apprenticeship can teach you how to thrive within a digital media environment. You’ll learn about managing marketing and social media campaigns. You'll get to work with the latest digital technology and produce rewarding content. Whatever your interests, you'll have the chance to develop your creative ideas.

Or Digital Marketing - during your apprenticeship, you'll learn how to:   

• Manage digital marketing campaigns  
• Analyse digital data  
• Develop your knowledge of different marketing techniques like Pay-Per-Click and Search Engine Optimisation  
• Manage different digital platforms  
• Develop strong relationships with target audience'

​Visit Skills Development Scotland if you are an employer and Apprenticeships.Scot if you want to become an apprentice.

Role of Training Providers

Finding a good training provider is vital to the success of your apprentice strategy.  They will help with:

• Assessing your applicant to check they will be accepted onto the apprenticeship under Government rules. See below for prior learning rule, but it could also be basics, such as proving someone’s citizenship status.
• Helping you with all the steps necessary to draw down your levy funds for the training costs; or where to apply for 95% of the funds if you are a non levy payer.
• Adapting the standard to fit with your needs and rebadging it to make it sound most appealing to your learners. 
• Working with agency and agency mentor to make sure the apprentice is ready for their end point assessment.

In addition, some can also help with:

• Recruitment.
• Even sometimes how to apply for any Government short term incentive such as £1,000 payment for hiring those aged 16-18 or 19-24 with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or care leaver status.
• Levy transfers. Sometimes a provider will have a client with a huge surplus who wishes to transfer up to 50% of that to other companies who fit certain criteria.
• A branded cohort, such as Bauer’s: See here for work they have done with Ogilvy.
• 'Training’ agency managers on how they can help an apprentice be successful by explaining how it all works.

On the Skills England website, you can search via keywords and pick either/both Apprentice standards or Foundation apprenticeships.  (Currently, there are no Foundation ones – which last under a year and have smaller funding bands – for our sector.)  If you search for ‘advertising’, one of the results will be for Advertising and Media Executive. On the right-hand side you can search for training providers against this standard and also end point assessment organisations (which are different organisations). This list is not always totally accurate, so we suggest that if you are having difficulties, you reach out to the administrator of the employee Trailblazer which wrote it.

One problem with searching for providers is that providers sometimes rename an apprentice standard.  For example, Data Technician is often rebadged as Junior Data Analyst or Data Literacy. Business Analyst standard might find itself renamed AI Champion…

However, this propensity is shared with agencies – if they have a cohort they will often rename it to say, for example, XAgency Academy.

Training Providers for Entry Level Apprenticeships Most Used in the Advertising Industry

 

• * Apprentify and Bauer Media would probably take a large cohort for the Advertising and Media Executive.
• ** Bauer Media would probably take a large cohort for Junior Advertising Creative.

Please note, for further information contact the very helpful The National Apprenticeship Service Helpdesk or watch the many videos on YouTube e.g. how to register as an employer for an account.  Or visit the IPA Career’s Hub.

Information on Apprenticeships/Training Providers

These are the ones used by our industry outside the top seven entry level ones which are Advertising and Media Executive, Junior Advertising Creative, Content Creator, Multi-Channel Marketer, Associate Project Manager, Data Analyst and Data Technician (on above table).

 

* There are 7 levels and our industry roughly tends to use only those Level 3 (entry level) to 7 (senior, degree), the higher you go, the higher the time to qualify, so from 1 year to 4 years.  It also does not follow that higher levels get higher funding bands. As it depends on factors such as how much 121 is required and the cost to do the end point assessment.  Also confusing is that providers customise learning and titles for their employers. Good providers will customise a programme cohort to what the employers need, e.g. manager in an agency.  Please note that as of January 2026 there will no longer be Level 7s unless they are for under 22s.  You cannot use them to upskill existing staff, but anyone on the programme before then, however, can continue. 

** The Government list is often highly inaccurate.  I am listing only those providers I know, there are always lots of colleges, for example, and some will be rated highly by employers.

*** This also has to pay for a separate company to do the End Point Assessment, which can be as much as 20% of the funding band.

Prior Learning Rule

Government will not allow levy money to be used to educate someone whom they believe already has too many of the knowledge, skills and behaviours.  However, in reality where ‘too many’ falls is hard to tell.  It is the job of the training provider to do an assessment and make a decision as to whether the candidate can be enrolled onto a particular apprentice standard. 

Training providers must make a thorough appraisal of an individual’s existing knowledge, skills, and behaviours against the occupational competence standard for the apprenticeship they want to take.  Where the individual already has prior learning via work experience/training/qualifications/skills bootcamp necessary to achieve occupational competence, then the content, duration and price must be adjusted to take account of this and this affects both new entrants (and existing employees who are upskilling).

Agencies should therefore ideally wait for this assessment to take place before making a firm apprentice job offer.

As long as any prior learning adjustments do not reduce the duration of the apprenticeship to below the minimum duration threshold of 12 months, then the individual will still be eligible. For example, where an apprenticeship standard has a recommended duration of 18 months, then as long as any prior learning adjustments do not reduce the duration to less than 12 months, the individual will still be eligible. However, a training provider may say that this candidate is unviable as they have to charge you less for the training.

Most will be fine, because:

• Most ‘work experience’ would not take a candidate below the 12-month minimum duration. But a degree in advertising or a postgraduate in copywriting, or likewise, would. A major Brixton Finishing School or D&AD New Blood programme would almost certainly mean some learning overlap and thus less funding for that apprentice.
• Apprenticeships are there to address significant training needs. Ad/Media Exec for example has a high number of knowledge, skills, behaviours and it would be unlikely that say a two-month internship would make them confident to do a chunk.

Prior learning is always to be taken into account with anyone being considered by a training provider for an apprenticeship.

End Point Assessment

The people who assess the apprentice for their qualification have nothing to do with either the employer or the training provider.  So some of the funding band money – often up to 20% - goes to an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO).  No new standard will be approved unless there is an EPAO willing to take it on. You can also search for EPAOs for every standard, same as finding training providers.  Again, however, the Government website is not always totally up to date. AIM continue to be the main assessor for standards used by agencies.

Summary of the Government’s Sector Plan for the Creative Industries

This report was published in June 2025. We are one of four areas within Creative Industries with ‘frontier’ status. Government already knows we are a success: “The UK advertising sector is thriving and resilient, unmatched in its creative excellence, and the most digitally mature in Western Europe. It also adds £109 billion in indirect GVA across the UK economy more broadly. The advertising sector is an early adopter of AI and innovative technologies and its potential for future growth is fuelled by the shift to digital and online. In 2024, Adtech businesses attracted investment funding of £1.7 billion, firmly positioning the industry as a central force in the digital transformation of the UK economy. The UK is the second largest exporter of advertising and marketing services after the United States, according to the Advertising Association, with exports reaching £18bn in 2023, four times higher than a decade ago.” Government believes that AI and digital will help us continue to grow, and to employ more, not less, people.