Employers interested in enrolling an Apprentice must first email the Degree Apprenticeship Team. The team will schedule a meeting to discuss your roles and responsibilities of employing an apprentice. If you need more information about the programme, contact details will be provided for the programme leader.
To secure a place, Apprentices must meet the eligibility criteria below. They must:
- have the right to work in England
- spend at least 50% of their working hours in England including any remote or hybrid working time
- live in England if they are employed on a Home Working contract
- be employed in a full-time role and contracted to a minimum of 30 hours per week
- be employed in a role relevant to the apprenticeship programme
- have Maths and English GCSE with a minimum Grade C or 4, or equivalent
- meet any specific entry requirements for the apprenticeship standard
Please note:
Applications for apprenticeship programmes must include evidence of all the eligibility criteria. Applications must be submitted at least 60 days (two months) before the first day of learning.
An Employer wishing to partner with LJMU needs to complete an Employer Application Form. This form allows us to gather key information about your company. In some cases, we will undertake a credit check on non-public sector organisations.
The information from the form, along with an interview between the Employer and the Programme Lead, is used to assess and confirm your company’s ability to support the Apprentice. This support must align with the ESFA Funding Rules on GOV.UK website.
Apply online via our Employer Application Form.
Alternatively, the Employer can contact our Degree Apprenticeship Team.
Additional requirements
As part of the process to become an approved employer, you must return the following forms and documents via email.
- Health and Safety form: Please sign with a wet or electronic signature and return as a Word document. We are unable to accept a typed signature for audit purposes. Once completed this form is valid for 3 years.
- Employer Liability Insurance and Public Liability Insurance: These are normally combined into one policy. It is unlikely that you will have a separate PLI certificate. A copy of the relevant page from the policy schedule or confirmation from your broker will be fine. Certificates are valid for 12 months.
Register for Digital Apprenticeship Services (funding)
Levy payers and small Employers must set up a Digital Apprenticeship Services account on the GOV.UK website to arrange funding.
We are here to support you. You can email our Degree Apprenticeship Team and we will contact you to help you set up your digital account.
Once the Employer is approved as a partner, your Apprentice can complete the Student Application form.
Employers must ensure their employee(s) submit the application form 60 days prior to the start date of their programme.
We recommend setting a reminder to follow up with your employee before this deadline.
Here is a link to the Apprentices Application.
Once the application is submitted, the Apprentice will receive an email to start their onboarding via our degree apprenticeship system, APTEM. The Degree Apprenticeship platform guides the Apprentice through the onboarding requirements using the 'Onboarding Wizard'. It allows the Employer and Apprentices to electronically sign the apprenticeship documentation.
The Admissions Team reviews the application to assess the applicant’s eligibility. Maths and English GCSE certificates are necessary for the application to progress. Applicants must have a minimum grade C or 4, or equivalent.
The admissions team may get in touch if they need further information.
Please note:
It is advisable to allocate time for your employee to complete the onboarding steps. Their application cannot progress until all their actions are complete.
Once the Apprentice completes onboarding, we will be in touch with the Employer to sign the paperwork. The employer will receive an invitation to APTEM, where they will need to set up their account. The employer must add your signature to the Apprenticeship Agreement and the Training Plan.
The Apprentice must sign these documents before the Employer. If the documents aren’t showing in the employer's APTEM dashboard, it means that the Apprentice has yet to sign them. Both documents will then be counter-signed by the LJMU.
Log into Aptem
Apprenticeship Agreement – this document is used to confirm Employer arrangements between the Apprentice and the Employer.
ESFA Training Plan – this mandatory document includes the planned delivery content of the course and the schedule for training. It also details the roles and responsibilities of the Apprentice, Employer and training provider.
After onboarding, the Apprentice's application will be reviewed by the Programme Team. They will get in touch if they need further information.
The Apprentice should look out for their offer letter from the Admissions Team.
Registration details will be issued approximately 2 to 3 weeks before the programme is due to start. It will come direct from the Registration Team.
