What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship combines academic learning with hands-on experience, helping employees gain the skills they need to succeed. By training people from within their organisation, employers can tackle skills shortages and support long-term growth.
Open to both new and existing employees, apprentices earn a salary while working towards a recognised qualification, with training provided at no cost to the apprentice.
Why take on an apprentice?
Employing an apprentice is a smart, cost-effective way to build a skilled, future-ready workforce. Apprenticeships develop expertise across your organisation, boost productivity, and address both current and emerging skills gaps.
By enabling employees to earn a recognised qualification alongside their role, apprenticeships help you attract high-quality talent, increase engagement, and retain your best people - building loyalty while reducing recruitment costs.
Discover the benefits
Discover the benefits of apprenticeships for building stronger teams and driving results.
Apprenticeship standards
We offer a variety of higher and degree apprenticeships (Levels 4–6) across multiple sectors, with programmes leading to professionally accredited qualifications.
Our Construction Site Manager and Construction Quantity Surveyor apprenticeships are available for Level 5 entry.
How to apply
We provide full support throughout the apprenticeship application process. For guidance on recruiting or enrolling an employee, including registration steps and eligibility requirements, please visit our dedicated applications page.
Why partner with us?
We help employers build skilled, future-ready teams through high-impact apprenticeship programmes. Designed in collaboration with industry and academic experts, our apprenticeships develop talent, improve performance, and tackle critical skills gaps.
We partner with organisations of all sizes to attract new talent, retain key people, and upskill existing teams.
Each apprentice follows a personalised learning plan, with progress tracked through our online platform, giving you clear oversight at every stage.
Our degree apprenticeships are Ofsted-rated Good, reflecting high-quality education, strong leadership, robust safeguarding, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
We also offer tailored training and professional development solutions, designed to meet your organisation’s specific goals.
Funding and levy
If your pay bill is greater than £3m per year, you're required by the government to pay an apprenticeship levy, which can be used to fund your employees’ apprenticeships or transfer to another employer. For pay bills less than this, you’ll receive government funding towards training apprentices according to set funding bands. You may also be eligible to claim a £1,000 cash incentive if your apprentice is between 18 and 24, has been in care or has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
All employers must pay the apprentice’s salary, at least the relevant minimum wage rate.
You can read detailed employer guidance on apprenticeship funding on the gov.uk websiteGo to funding page on gov.uk site.
Advertise your apprenticeship opportunities
If you would like us to help with recruiting an apprentice, we can advertise your apprenticeship vacancies to potential apprentices.
List your apprenticeship vacancy formGo to the listing apprenticeship vacancies form
Policies and employer responsibilities
Our apprenticeships are delivered in line with the University's policies and procedures, which apply to apprentices in the same way as they do other students.
To view policies, procedures and guidance specific to apprenticeships, visit our Policies and documents A-Z page.
Policies of particular relevance to apprenticeships include:
- Apprenticeships Change of Circumstance Policy
- Initial Assessment and Recognition of Prior Learning Process (apprenticeships)
This is not a complete list, and all relevant policies still apply. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
The health and safety of the apprentice in the workplace is the responsibility of the employer. The University of Westminster assumes this responsibility when the apprentice is at the University.
If required for their role employers should provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the apprentice in the workplace. We provide appropriate PPE for apprentices to use whilst at the University. The apprentice must be covered under the Employer’s Liability Insurance policy and we require confirmation of this insurance before the start of the apprenticeship and at each policy renewal.
Safeguarding is an overarching term used to describe the protection of the health, wellbeing, and human rights of individuals. In the context of our apprenticeship provision safeguarding means protecting children and adults at risk from abuse and neglect, making sure that they are safe and that their health and development are not impaired.
We follow statutory guidance and relevant legislation. Under legislation, all parties involved in an apprenticeship must take reasonable action to minimise risks to apprentices, placing safeguarding concerns at the heart of their training provision. This includes aspects of the apprentices’ experience, both in and outside of the workplace, as well as during any attendance at university.
Apprentices are entitled to expect their employer to make the protection of their well-being central to all operations. Employers must ensure compliance with safeguarding legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Prevent Duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, and any other relevant UK legislation and statutory requirements, to protect their workforce.
Employers also have additional safeguarding expectations placed upon them in relation to apprentices, ensuring their welfare is considered throughout. In practice this means providing a supporting framework and working with the University and apprentice when risks or concerns have been identified.
To meet their obligations, employers will:
- Familiarise themselves with relevant government legislation.
- Take appropriate steps to understand what safeguarding means in practice at their organisation, in the context of the responsibilities they have for the people they employ.
- Ensure that any staff working with apprentices in a position of trust are appropriate for the role and do not present any danger or threat.
- Where possible, identify a safeguarding lead person to coordinate across all apprentices.
- Attend training and utilise resources offered by the University related to apprenticeships.
To view policies, procedures and guidance specific to apprenticeships, visit our Policies and documents A-Z page.
Policies of particular relevance to apprenticeships include:
- Apprenticeships Change of Circumstance Policy
- Initial Assessment and Recognition of Prior Learning Process (apprenticeships)
This is not a complete list, and all relevant policies still apply. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
The health and safety of the apprentice in the workplace is the responsibility of the employer. The University of Westminster assumes this responsibility when the apprentice is at the University.
If required for their role employers should provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the apprentice in the workplace. We provide appropriate PPE for apprentices to use whilst at the University. The apprentice must be covered under the Employer’s Liability Insurance policy and we require confirmation of this insurance before the start of the apprenticeship and at each policy renewal.
Safeguarding is an overarching term used to describe the protection of the health, wellbeing, and human rights of individuals. In the context of our apprenticeship provision safeguarding means protecting children and adults at risk from abuse and neglect, making sure that they are safe and that their health and development are not impaired.
We follow statutory guidance and relevant legislation. Under legislation, all parties involved in an apprenticeship must take reasonable action to minimise risks to apprentices, placing safeguarding concerns at the heart of their training provision. This includes aspects of the apprentices’ experience, both in and outside of the workplace, as well as during any attendance at university.
Apprentices are entitled to expect their employer to make the protection of their well-being central to all operations. Employers must ensure compliance with safeguarding legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Prevent Duty under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, and any other relevant UK legislation and statutory requirements, to protect their workforce.
Employers also have additional safeguarding expectations placed upon them in relation to apprentices, ensuring their welfare is considered throughout. In practice this means providing a supporting framework and working with the University and apprentice when risks or concerns have been identified.
To meet their obligations, employers will:
- Familiarise themselves with relevant government legislation.
- Take appropriate steps to understand what safeguarding means in practice at their organisation, in the context of the responsibilities they have for the people they employ.
- Ensure that any staff working with apprentices in a position of trust are appropriate for the role and do not present any danger or threat.
- Where possible, identify a safeguarding lead person to coordinate across all apprentices.
- Attend training and utilise resources offered by the University related to apprenticeships.
What our partners say
Westminster understands the needs of our business and industry, providing us with outstanding support and apprentices with the right mix of classroom learning and hands-on experience.
The University’s support has been outstanding, from a well-organised onboarding process to consistent ongoing support for trainees and managers. The programme is extremely well delivered.
Upcoming programmes
We continue to review our course portfolio and work with employers to provide new, relevant apprenticeship programmes.
If you're an employer interested in working with us to develop a high-quality programme to meet the needs of your organisation, please get in touch by completing our apprenticeship enquiry formGo to the apprenticeships enquiry form.
Collaborate with us
We work with businesses to help deliver a range of solutions as well as develop partnerships that provide a wealth of opportunities to our students.
If you're interested in collaborating with us or supporting our students, we'd love to hear from you.
Complete enquiry formGo to the working with Westminster enquiry form
For applicants
An apprenticeship lets you earn a qualification while gaining real-world work experience, so you can learn and get paid at the same time.
Discover more about the benefits of apprenticeships on our applicant page and see how you can kickstart your career
Read moreGo to Higher and degree apprenticeships for applicants page
Contact Us
We are keen to establish new relationships with employers from a wide range of sectors and welcome enquiries.
For more information please contact our dedicated apprenticeships team on:
+44 (0) 207 911 5027
Or fill out our enquiry formGo to the apprenticeships enquiry form and we'll get back to you shortly.