What is Off The Job Learning?

An English apprenticeship must include off-the-job training. It is training obtained by the apprentice during normal working hours for the purpose of obtaining the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of the approved apprenticeship the learner is completing. Normal working hours are defined as paid hours that do not include overtime.

For all full-time apprentices (those who work 30 hours or more per week) to qualify for government funding, they must devote a minimum of 6 hours per week to off-the-job training throughout the anticipated practical term.

“It is not on-the-job training which is training received by the apprentice for the sole purpose of enabling the apprentice to perform the work for which they have been employed. By this we mean training that does not specifically link to the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship.”

Ref: Apprenticeship funding rules and guidance for employers, May 2022, page 18

How to plan your off the job training

Capital4Training will talk about the apprentices’ intended learning schedule and work with managers and employers to find appropriate supplementary activities. To ensure that criteria are met, all of these activities will be compiled into a comprehensive strategy. These will be listed on the training plan and the apprenticeship agreement. Additionally, we’ll give line managers the guidance and assistance they need to clearly define their roles. Off the job training must:

• Be relevant to the apprenticeship programme.
• Be independent of the typical job role and workplace environment.
• Focus your efforts on acquiring new knowledge, skills, and behaviours.
• occur throughout the regular paid working hours.

Some examples of off the job training

The training might include a variety of activities that will assist the apprentice become a better employee. Here are a couple such examples:

• Programmes offered internally that are pertinent to the apprenticeship
• Keeping reflective diaries
• Attendance at apprenticeship-related courses, training sessions, and webinars
• Reading and watching videos while doing your own self-study
• Instruction in new work procedures or technologies
• Writing tests, assignments, and finishing tasks or projects
• Practical instruction or workplace instruction pertinent to the apprenticeship

How to calculate your off the job training

Like the former 20% off-the-job training regulation, the minimum amount of hours is no longer correlated with working hours. Regardless of the number of hours the apprentice works, off-the-job training now lasts at least six hours per week.

The EFSA decided the six hours since it equals 20% of the 30 hours that all part-time apprentices are now working. It means that apprentices who work more than 30 hours per week can now devote less than 20% of their time to off-the-job training.

Note the following additional details while calculating off-the-job training:

• Learner statutory leave should not be included in the six hours of off-the-job training that are set out for it. It only functions during business hours.
• Some standards and apprentices could require additional off-the-job training than the required minimum of six hours per week. The amount of high-quality apprenticeship training that is required for an apprentice to achieve full occupational competence must be provided.
• Any off-the-job training (evening industry events) that takes place outside of working hours must be paid in lieu or offset against normal working hours
• Extra training following a failed end-point assessment does not count towards the minimum six hours per week. The minimum time needs to be achieved before undertaking end-point assessment.
• The six hours per week is for calculation purposes only; once calculated the programme can still be delivered flexibly.
• The volume of training that is delivered must be guided by the initial assessment of the apprentice. This may mean that an apprentice trains for more than six hours per week.

How can you record off the job training

It’s crucial to document off-the-job training activities and confirm their validity and value. As previously stated, students cannot go on to the end-point assessment stage and finish their programme until the required number of hours of focused instruction have been accounted for.

Together with the apprentice and the line manager, Capital4Training will create a training plan to schedule all of the off-the-job training hours and keep track of the trainee’s progress.