Following government changes to the way smaller employers can organise and pay for Apprenticeships, we thought we’d share the most up to date information.

So here are a series of Youtube “How to” videos, directly uploaded by the ESFA. This offers further insight into the changes that have been made, so you can adapt quickly.

How to...create an account and accept the employer agreement on the apprenticeship service

How to...reserve funding, add an apprentice, and use the recruitment tool

Transition arrangements for smaller employers joining the apprenticeship service.

For any further information or support on the changes to Apprenticeships, please visit our Employers page.

Following government changes to the way smaller employers can organise and pay for Apprenticeships, we thought we’d share the most up to date information.

So here are a series of Youtube “How to” videos, directly uploaded by the ESFA. This offers further insight into the changes that have been made, so you can adapt quickly.

How to...create an account and accept the employer agreement on the apprenticeship service

How to...reserve funding, add an apprentice, and use the recruitment tool

Transition arrangements for smaller employers joining the apprenticeship service.

For any further information or support on the changes to Apprenticeships, please visit our Employers page.

Our video focuses on Rohit Thapa, one of our ACCA students. He is currently working in the finance department of an automotive company as a commercial accountant. He also has one eye on becoming a fully Chartered Accountant. 

We thought we’d look into commercial accountancy and tell you a little bit more about the role.

What is a Commercial Accountant?

A Commercial Accountant is responsible for the efficient running of an organisation’s accounts, including everyday duties such as general entries, balance sheets, ledgers, reporting and advice management on tax issues, budgets and forecast and planning. 

They would have responsibilities such as:

• Investigating accounting and financial anomalies
• Analysing financial information and preparing reports
• Variance analysis and WIP reporting
• Completing tasks and reporting within financial deadlines
• Supporting contract negotiations

How much can a Commercial Accountant earn?

A Commercial Accountant salary ranges from around £27,000 to £52,000, depending on experience. Average salary is roughly £35,000*.

What skills do Commercial Accountants need to have?

You’ll need to have good communication skills to be able to explain financial reports to those who might not have the same level of knowledge as you do.

You’ll need to be adaptable as the world of finance is always changing - whether it’s regulations, compliance, the stock market, or local markets.

IT literacy is a must have. You’ll be using niche software, and will need to be able to embrace technology to improve systems, processes and result delivery.

Be confident. You’ll need to be able to talk to heads of departments, company leaders, and decision makers to convince them to make the right call.

What qualifications do I need to be a Commercial Accountant?

You’ll need to either do ACCA, CIMA or ACA to become a qualified accountant, and then you can go into the commercial side of accountancy.

More information about ACCA, CIMA or ACA.

*Source: www.payscale.com March 2020

This year, we’re proud to say that we’ve started to embrace a greener life. All 25 of our training centres across the country are now single use plastic free!

And we won’t stop there. Everybody can make a small change to reduce plastic waste, everyday.

Watch this video to see what we did.

To discover the other ways we are trying to make a difference, view our Corporate Social Responsibility page.

This March we hosted a webinar on the Levy transfer, explaining what is, how it affects you, and how you can implement it.

Register to listen to the live recording. 

In April 2018, the Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA)  introduced enhancements to the Digital Apprenticeship Account System. This means that Levy paying employers are now able to transfer some of their levy pot to other employers (to be spent on Apprenticeship standard training in England).

There is a large amount of money sitting in unspent levy accounts, so businesses are able to move money from the under spent Levy world to the under resourced non-levy world.

The webinar covers:

• What the scheme is and what it allows
• How it works in practice including concerns over administration
• The benefits for donors and recipients
• How Kaplan can help.

Meet Emily and Billie, two successful apprentices at York based Accountants - Garbutt and Elliott.

With the help of the new End Point Assessments, we see how their AAT level Apprenticeships are driving them to career success.

The EPAs are a new addition to Finance Apprenticeships. They encourage the apprentice to reflect on their learnings and identify the new skills they've acquired, since starting their course.

It's been really great for me because it gives a structure to my work

- Billie Godley

As the new Accountancy Apprenticeship standards enter their third year of operation, more students and employers are preparing to take, or have taken, an End Point Assessment.