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Guidance for UCL's apprenticeship levy transfer to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
About UCL’s levy transfer
UCL’s levy transfer supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to train apprentices employed by them by offering to cover the cost of their apprenticeship training fees. The funds can be used to train new recruits or existing members of staff.
Receiving Employers can apply for the levy transfer at any time before they begin paying for their apprentices' training. We will aim to make a decision as quickly as we can; however, receiving employers should allow up to 6 weeks after submitting an application for the decision to be made. Upon application, we will provide an indication of timescales.
Access to the funds
The funds are available to employers who would otherwise need to pay for their apprenticeship training. This includes employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy as well as employers that do not have sufficient levy funds in their account to cover the cost of the apprenticeship training.
Before you submit an application, you should ensure that you have read the transfer rules for receiving employers and are eligible to receive a transfer.
Receiving Employers can make an application to access funds through the Pledge on the Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) if they meet the indicated criteria.
We will evaluate each application by how well it demonstrates that the funds will be used to support the local community. We will prioritise employers that can demonstrate how the work they do, or the work their apprentice does aligns with the UCL key priorities which we have set out as our criteria. We are particularly interested in applications from employers that are based in Camden or Islington or will use the funds to train a Camden or Islington resident.
The Pledge
The types of apprenticeships we are willing to consider funding for and the total funding available are indicated via the Pledge. If your apprenticeship meets the criteria, you can submit an application via the Digital Apprenticeship Service. You must have an account to do this and know the type of apprenticeship you are looking to fund. For more information on how to complete this application, please visit the government page on managing apprenticeships service.
There is an optional field on the application which asks you to provide more information. We will need you to complete this section as we are unable to process your application without it and your request will be rejected. We may also contact you to request further information in order to consider your application.
For more information about the application process via the pledge, please see Appendix A.
Eligibility Criteria
In April 2024 we pledged a total of £250,000 for the financial year for organisations to access, and have set the following criteria:
- Location: UK
- Sector: Care Services, Charity, Digital, Education and Early Years, Health and Science
- Type of Apprenticeship: All
- Level of Apprenticeship: 2,3,4
We will consider how well applications align with our UCL Strategic Plan if applicants can demonstrate impact on the following:
- Will benefit the local communities in which they operate
- Provide access to education for all ages
- Support improved care, health and wellbeing
- Improved digital literacy for individuals and communities
- Impact on sustainability and environment
- Supports innovation, enterprise and new technologies
- Addresses inequalities
- Encourages intercultural communication
- Have passed the Due Diligence checks (see Due Diligence section for more information)
Due Diligence Checklist
Once an application is received the UCL Apprenticeship team will complete due diligence checks. This information will be shared with the Levy Transfer Panel along with the application and will be used to support the panel in making their decision.
Completing due diligence is important to UCL to ensure that we support levy transfers that align with our strategic priorities and the UCL Grand Challenges. It is also important that UCL supports organisations that are “good places to work.”
Levy Transfer Panel
The Levy Transfer Panel will sit once a month. It is their responsibility to review all applications. The panel will consider how well applications meet the criteria and will aim to inform the receiving employers as soon as possible of its decision but within 6 weeks after the date of application at the latest.
The panel will ensure that the money is allocated where it has the most impact but will be actively looking to approve applications rather than reject them. The panel will consist of the two Apprenticeship Managers and a representative from the UCL London Office. Where these colleagues are unavailable, appropriate representatives from Organisational Development and Partnership teams will be asked to sit on the panel so that applications are reviewed in a timely manner and decisions are not delayed unnecessarily. The panel will always consist of 3 members of UCL staff.
Auto approval and timescales
Applications made through the DAS that meet 100% of the criteria can be automatically approved. However, for consistency and fairness, and to allow us to complete Due Diligence, we will de-select auto approvals. The panel will make a decision on applications through both routes as quickly as possible but will inform you of the outcome within 6 weeks of the application date at the latest. Any decisions that have not been confirmed on DAS within 6 weeks that meet 100% criteria will be automatically approved.
After the levy transfer
Once the approval for a levy transfer is confirmed and the necessary steps are followed on DAS (see Appendix A for processing), the Receiving Employer takes full responsibility for the apprenticeship along with the training provider. The Receiving Employer is expected to provide an update to the UCL Apprenticeship team when there is a change in status, i.e. the apprenticeship is completed, stopped or paused. This will allow us to manage our transfer funds and make unspent funds available for others.
We would also ask that you provide any good news stories and case studies related to the apprenticeship to us so that we can celebrate these successes and promote them to encourage others to access and benefit from the levy transfer.
Further Information
For more information on UCL Apprenticeship Programmes, visit our apprenticeships webpage.
If you have any questions regarding the UCL Apprenticeship levy transfer process or application, please contact apprenticeship@ucl.ac.uk
