Part Time apprentice?! How are you going about it?

[Aismail]

Hello all!

Hope you can help me, thanks in advance.

Currently working full time but looking to switch trades (to plumbing), applied for college and so-on but because of my age, 23, i cannot afford to go back to apprentice wage £100 a week so have applied for my NVQ Level 2 to be taken part-time. I have relevant experience, 5 years or so working part-time plumbing and bathroom fitting anyway so can get away with a minimum of 8 hours a week...thinking im going to work weekends and keep my current full-time job.

The hold up is, because im over 19, there is an 'Employers Contribution Fee' of £560 a year to be paid to the college. Not sure the guy im hoping to be working with will be willing to pay that upfront for me to only work 1 day a week (i would work for free if need be until he has re-cooped that money back (The wages i would have been paid, as little as £25 a day)

Anyone come across this?

I suppose there is nothing stopping me from paying the £560 as i would re-coop it in the wages but want to know anyones opinion really... any business owners on here? Employers?

Thanks

 

[GQuigley67]

for the adult apprentices who i used to work with, they had to pay that contribution fee to the college as the company weren't up for it.

Also as you are 23 you would have to get payed minimum wage I believe but don't quote me on that one, I am assuming that by law you need to be payed minimum wage once you are 21+

If you are serious about becoming a plumber then NVQ2 minimum is the only way, and try and get level 3 if you can but to be honest its not a part time job so you should really be working full time while doing the college to gain as much experience as you can.

 

[fuzzy]

im not sure the college could sign you up unless you have a full time plumbing job. maybe they could if you paid the full fee, but that would be closer to 5k then £500

 

[BikerBen]

Only students under 19 get 'free' apprenticeships

Minimum wage does not apply to apprenticeships in the same way as for normal jobs until I think you reach 18+ so you should be getting this - if in doubt contact the minimum wage people.

I think that the college would be ok with the part time job as long as it met the required number of jobs needed to complete the course. They want students so should be slightly flexible.

When I do my gas course I'm only helping out evenings and weekends with a friend and my college was happy with this - not ideal but when you are older you have to bend the rules to change careers I'm afraid.

 

[fuzzy]

Only students under 19 get 'free' apprenticeships

I think that the college would be ok with the part time job as long as it met the required number of jobs needed to complete the course. They want students so should be slightly flexible.

When I do my gas course I'm only helping out evenings and weekends with a friend and my college was happy with this - not ideal but when you are older you have to bend the rules to change careers I'm afraid.

under 19 is fully funded, 19-24 partially funder 24+ even less partially funded

College have no issues, they dont make the rules, the people who design the apprentice frameworks make the rules on minimum hours of work etc. Dont confuse this with the nvq were you need certain jobs to complete, apprenticeship and nvq are not the same, you can get an nvq without apprenticeship (well in theory) but the college cannot get funding unless you are, do you see the psoition they are in?

if any college get found out on bending rules they will loose creditation and you will not get a cert

 

[BikerBen]

Perhaps flexibility would have been a better choice of language 😉

I wasnt implying anything untoward but saying that to change jobs you have to be able to look at whats required in a manner thats going to fit in with what college want and what you can get. My friend is fully qualified, very experienced and would not do anything illegal so I just wanted to clarify that point.