New apprenticeship service employer agreement postponed until August

From 12 August 2020, we’re asking employers to accept a new employer agreement to access apprenticeship funding for new apprentices and approve any account changes.

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, ESFA have decided to postpone the publication of the new employer agreement until 12 August 2020. Employers will be able to accept the new agreement on or after that date.

Employers accessing apprenticeship funds through the apprenticeship service or making changes to an existing apprentice account must accept the employer agreement with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

On 9 January 2020, we published a new employer agreement. The new agreement includes:

• the terms and conditions for all employers using the apprenticeship service to access funds

• changes to reflect the service’s recent expansion to include employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy

We’re asking employers to accept the new agreement, so that all employers access the apprenticeship service under the same terms and conditions.

View the latest employer agreement and guidance.

Organisations that accepted the agreement before 9 January 2020

If your organisation accepted the agreement before 9 January 2020 and will have new apprentices on or after 12 August 2020, you must accept the new employer agreement.

Your current agreement (accepted before 9 January 2020) covers your approved apprentices until they complete their apprenticeship, or until you accept the new agreement.

Without accepting the employer agreement, you will also be unable to approve:

• any new apprenticeships funded by a transfer

• apprenticeship vacancies

• changes to your current apprentice records

Organisations that accepted the agreement on or after 9 January 2020

If your organisation accepted the employer agreement on or after 9 January 2020, you do not need to accept it again or take any action.

How to check when your organisation accepted the employer agreement

1. Go to the ‘Your organisations and agreements’ section of your apprenticeship service account.
2. Find the table at the bottom of the page.
3. Select ‘View’ next to your organisation’s agreement (in the ‘Action’ column). A new page will open.
4. Find the table at the bottom of the page.
5. Check the date in the ‘Accepted on’ row.

Accepting the new agreement

You can accept the new employer agreement in the ‘your organisations and agreements’ section of your account from 12 August 2020. You must have:

• ‘account owner’ permission
• authority to accept the agreement on the organisation’s behalf

Your organisation’s account owner can check and change permissions in ‘your team’.

Published 4 March 2020 
Last updated 7 April 2020 + show all updates

1. 7 April 2020

   Updated to include information relating to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

2. 4 March 2020

   First published.