Anna Morrison CBE
Director and Founder, Amazing Apprenticeships
The Government has announced some big changes to apprenticeships coming in 2025, with programmes re-focused to support young people and changes to the way that apprenticeship funding will work.
Foundation apprenticeships
New foundation apprenticeships will be introduced this year, providing paid and employed positions, designed to support young people in a flexible way to help them progress into a full apprenticeship. They will likely be linked to certain occupations and industries, and we expect to hear more about the details of foundation apprenticeships in Spring 2025. The first delivery of foundation apprenticeships is planned for August/September 2025.
Shorter duration apprenticeships
All apprenticeships currently have a minimum duration of at least 12 months, regardless of the level or the prior experience or qualification level of the individual apprentice. The Government has announced that in 2025, new ‘shorter duration’ apprenticeships will be introduced. This means that individuals meeting certain criteria will be permitted to complete their apprenticeship in a shorter timescale. The introduction of shorter duration apprenticeships is expected in August/September 2025.
The Government has announced
that in 2025, new ‘shorter duration’
apprenticeships will be introduced.
Changes to the apprenticeship levy
The apprenticeship levy will be transformed into the new ‘Growth and Skills Levy’ in 2025, under the remit of the newly created body, Skills England. Details are still emerging of the changes that will be implemented through this new levy but are likely to include some flexibility for employers in spending their levy on non-apprenticeship provisions, as well as some new restrictions being placed on the funding of level 7 apprenticeships.
Increase to national minimum wage for apprentices
The Government has announced changes to the National Minimum Wage for all workers. This included an increase for apprentices, with the National Minimum Wage for apprentices rising to £7.55 per hour (an increase of 18% from the current rate of £6.40 per hour).1
It is worth noting that while many employers will pay their apprentices higher than the minimum wage, some employers will start apprentices at this rate and then increase their salary throughout the apprenticeship. It will depend on each employer. The new rate for the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices will commence in April 2025.
To learn more about apprenticeships and to stay on top of the latest news and developments, visit Amazing Apprenticeships
[1] Source: gov.uk. 2024. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates.
