There are many funded recruitment and development initiatives available to support adult social care employers.
The pre-employment initiatives support employers to identify potential new talent while providing the participant with an insight into your organisation and the adult social care sector.
Pre-employment initiatives
Sector-based work academy programme
This programme includes pre-employment training, work experience placement and a guaranteed job interview to support people apply for jobs in a different area of work. They’re designed to help meet employers’ immediate and future recruitment needs.
Who’s it for?
People receiving unemployment benefits.
Duration
Up to six weeks
Training
- Work experience: on-the-job learning
- Pre-employment training: providing candidates with a learning programme, which could either be based on the Level 1 Award in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care or the Care Certificate
Employer commitments:
- a guaranteed job interview by participating employers
- work experience placement – an opportunity for employers to identify talent and for the individual to develop their knowledge and understanding of the required role.
Funding and incentives
Training and administration costs funded by the government.
Further information
Recruitment or development
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are genuine jobs allowing the apprentice to earn while they learn; developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours to be competent in a specific job role. They attract funding for recruiting and developing new and existing staff for specific job roles at different levels.
Who is it for?
Apprentices can be aged 16+; new recruits or existing staff
Duration
12 months (minimum)
Employer costs
From 1 April 2026, the apprentice minimum wage increased to £8.00 per hour, although many employers choose to pay more.
Training and end-point assessment costs:
- Non levy payers – 5% of training costs for apprentices starting after 1 April 2019 (10% before)
- Levy payers – funded from your Apprenticeship Service account, which is topped up by 10% by the government. If levy funds are insufficient, employers pay 5% of the remaining training costs and the government pays 95%, up to the funding band maximum.
Training
Off-the-job training: 20% of the apprentice’s normal working hours must be spent off-the-job, to learn the knowledge, skills and behaviours to meet the criteria of the apprenticeship. This can include training delivered at the workplace, day release, block training or special workshops.
On-the-job training: 80% of the apprentice’s normal working hours must be spent learning on-the-job. You’ll need to give your apprentice training and support to help them carry out the job you’ve hired them for.
Funding
No training costs for employers with less than 50 employees and apprentice is aged between 16-18 or 19-24 with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC) or has been in the care of their local authority.
No National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 years on earnings below the higher tax rate.
Commitment from the employer
- You must have a genuine job with a contract of employment long enough for an apprentice to complete their apprenticeship.
- Support your apprentice to meet their learning goals.
- Work with your chosen learning provider to ensure learning requirements are met and off-the-job learning time is given
Further information