1. If I need to self-isolate, what will happen to my apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships have been designed to be responsive to changes in apprentices’ circumstances, for example during a period of illness. If you need to self-isolate, please talk to your employer about the best way to continue with your apprenticeship, or report a break in learning.
Options include:
- As of Monday 23 March 2020, teaching will be delivered via online methods only. We remain committed to the highest standard of delivery. Online delivery requires as much commitment and engagement from students as face to face learning does and we expect all students to engage with the online learning. We appreciate many students have devices that will support on line learning but if you have any issues with either devices or connectivity please discuss this with your course leader.
- A short pause of less than 4 weeks in your apprenticeship while you are in self- isolation. This will not affect the planned end-date of your apprenticeship. Please contact academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk to report this if it is Covid-19 related
- A formal break in learning of 4 weeks or more that the University will report to the Government Funding Body (ESFA). This will result in the planned end-date for your apprenticeship being re-planned, upon returning to learning, to take into consideration the duration in line with the length of your break. Please contact your employer in the first instance.
- Re-scheduling planned assessment activity for a later date.
2. I need to take care of myself/a family member. Can I continue my apprenticeship learning remotely?
If it is safe and reasonable for you to do so, teaching and learning will be delivered via online methods only.
3. My employer is enforcing a work from home policy and my classroom provision has been withdrawn. What are my options?
As of Monday 23 March 2020, teaching will be delivered via online methods only. There are several options available to you:
- there are virtual learning sessions and resources available on Brightspace
- you can take a short pause if it is likely your apprenticeship can resume in less than 4 weeks, and you will still be able to complete your apprenticeship by the planned end-date. Please contact academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk to report this if it is Covid-19 related.
- you can take a formal break in learning of 4 weeks or more, which will result in the planned end-date of your apprenticeship being re-planned upon returning to learning, to take into consideration the duration of your break. Please contact your employer in the first instance to agree this course of action.
4. My employer is asking me to take a period of unpaid leave, what happens to my apprenticeship during that time?
Where you are no longer able to work, but have not been made redundant, you can take a break from your apprenticeship and resume when you return to work. Please get in touch with academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk at the University who will implement a formal break in learning.
5. What happens to the apprentice during a period of unpaid leave in terms of monies. Do they have access to Universal Credit?
Universal Credit may be available for both workers and the unemployed alike, as long as they meet the other conditions of entitlement (including that the applicant and their partner have savings of under £16,000 between them). Apprentices may be entitled to access Universal Credit during a period of unpaid leave. They may also have access to Universal Credit even if they were working and being paid. Being laid off or on a lesser number of hours could increase the rate of Universal Credit entitlement.
Apprentices on unpaid leave may also be eligible for other benefits.
Through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
6. How do I record progress towards my apprenticeship while I am subject to different working conditions like working from home?
You will already be recording your off-the-job training. Please continue to use this in the coming weeks. If your work circumstances change because of COVID-19, so that the minimum 20% off the job cannot be met, you will need to liaise with your employer to agree a break in learning.
7. My employer is laying me off/making me redundant. What happens to my apprenticeship?
Please speak to academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk at the University if you are made redundant as your apprenticeship training may be able to continue. The University will still be able to offer training, based on your circumstances, in the short term.
Once you are back at work, you can resume your apprenticeship. You should refer any queries around terms and conditions, including wages, to your employer in the first instance.
8. If I can’t work/attend training, will I still be paid?
An apprenticeship is a job with training, so even when you are not able to do your training, you are still employed. You will be paid in line with the details in your employment contract.
Where you are unable to work, we suggest speaking to your employer about their polices on pay. The government is providing a range of support to employers to help them retain and pay the wages of employees (including apprentices) during the coming months.
9. I am on a fixed-term contract, which would ordinarily have given enough time to complete the training and the end-point assessment. If the training is delayed, and I have not completed my EPA before I leave employment, can I do the end-point assessment afterwards?
You should be employed when you are taking your end-point assessment so, where a break in learning has been necessary, and the planned end-date for your apprenticeship has had to move back, please speak to your employer. The DfE would expect them to work with you and the University to reschedule your training, which may also include reviewing your apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement. The DfE will keep this under review as the situation evolves.
10. What will happen if I am not well enough to take my end-point assessment?
If you are unwell, or in a period of self-isolation, and unable to attend your end-point assessment, please contact academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk as soon as you are able, to allow maximum time to re-schedule your assessment.
11. Gateways are being delayed and we cannot complete the end-point assessment in the required time frame. Can we extend the EPA timeframe due to the current disruption?
Apprentices who are deemed ready for assessment, and cannot be assessed due to assessor illness, or Covid-19 related measures, are allowed to take a break before taking their EPA, and for the EPA to be rescheduled.
If the EPA timeframe needs to be extended beyond what is allowed in the assessment plan (where specified), EPAOs are responsible for agreeing extensions to EPA timeframes during the current disruption. EPAOs should work closely with EQAPs to ensure quality of EPA is maintained. For apprentices whose gateway is being delayed, the University will report this as a break in learning in the Individual Learning Record (ILR).
12. If the current situation continues for a long period of time, would you consider awarding the apprenticeship without the end-point assessment?
The DfE does not consider this to be appropriate at the current time. The intention is to safeguard the quality of apprenticeships, and at this time DfE believe that the EPA is an important part of that.
End-point assessment organisations (EPAO) are encouraged to advise the ESFA if they are cancelling or postponing EPAs in order for us to monitor the impact.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response
DfE coronavirus helpline
Telephone
0800 046 8687
If you have a query about coronavirus (COVID-19), relating to schools and other educational establishments in England contact our helpline.
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 4pm.
These questions and answers will be updated regularly by the DfE and ESFA in line with advice from central government, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE).
For queries not covered by this guidance, please contact the apprenticeship service helpline. They can be contacted by telephone on 0800 150 600 or email helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk.
1. Due to business continuity measures all staff are required to be available at their usual place of work. How can my apprentices continue their learning?
If your apprentices are unable to attend their scheduled learning events, there are several options available to you:
- apprentices should engage in the virtual learning sessions and resources available in Brightspace at a convenient time within agreed working hours
- they could be offered additional personal tutorial support
- they could take a short pause in their learning of less than four weeks while still completing by their planned end-date
- they could take a formal break in learning of 4 weeks or more and re-calculate the planned end-date upon their return to learning
2. I am having to move staff into different and/or business critical roles that aren’t related to their apprenticeship. What happens to their apprenticeship?
It is our goal that apprentices can promptly resume their apprenticeship and continue to successful completion of end-point assessment. Funding rules currently state that a break in learning must be initiated by the apprentice. Employers and training providers can now temporarily also report and initiate a break in learning where the interruption to learning is greater than 4 weeks.
3. What do I do if I think an apprentice is not well enough to work (especially in a health setting)?
Employers should follow the government’s guidance for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All potential COVID-19 cases must be reported to academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk at the University so we can keep in contact and support the apprentice accordingly.
4. Should employers use the ‘Stop’ or ‘Pause’ apprentice facility in the apprenticeship service?
In circumstances related to COVID-19, employers should use the ‘Pause’ function in the service. Employers must only use the ‘Stop’ function when they are certain that training will not resume at any point. Using ‘Pause’ will stop payments temporarily and allow the employer and apprentice to resume the apprenticeship at a later date. The DfE are reviewing options to simplify the process of re-starting apprentices on the service, including to facilitate a transfer to a different apprenticeship or employer in due course.
5. My apprentice is on a fixed-term contract, which would ordinarily have given enough time to complete the training and the end-point assessment. If the training is delayed, and they have not completed their EPA before they leave employment, can they do the end-point assessment afterwards?
An apprentice should be employed when they are taking their end-point assessment so, where a break in learning has been necessary, and the planned end-date for the apprenticeship has had to move back. The DfE would expect the employer to work with the apprentice and the University to reschedule training, which may also include reviewing their apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement. The DfE will keep this under review as the situation evolves.
6. What will happen if an apprentice is not well enough to take their end-point assessment?
If an apprentice is unwell, or in a period of self-isolation, and unable to attend their end-point assessment, please contact academicregistrar@uos.ac.uk as soon as you are able, to allow maximum time to re-schedule the assessment.
7. Gateways are being delayed and end-point assessment cannot be completed in the required time frame. Can we extend the EPA timeframe due to the current disruption?
Apprentices who are deemed ready for assessment, and cannot be assessed due to assessor illness, or Covid-19 related measures, are allowed to take a break before taking their EPA, and for the EPA to be rescheduled. If the EPA timeframe needs to be extended beyond what is allowed in the assessment plan (where specified), EPAOs are responsible for agreeing extensions to EPA timeframes during the current disruption. EPAOs should work closely with EQAPs to ensure quality of EPA is maintained. For apprentices whose gateway is being delayed, the University will report this as a break in learning in the Individual Learning Record (ILR).
8. If the current situation continues for a long period of time, would you consider awarding the apprenticeship without the end-point assessment?
The DfE does not consider this to be appropriate at the current time. The intention is to safeguard the quality of apprenticeships, and at this time DfE believe that the EPA is an important part of that.
End-point assessment organisations (EPAO) are encouraged to advise the ESFA if they are cancelling or postponing EPAs in order for us to monitor the impact.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response
DfE coronavirus helpline
Telephone
0800 046 8687
If you have a query about coronavirus (COVID-19), relating to schools and other educational establishments in England contact our helpline.
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 4pm.