If you're having trouble uploading a vacancy, please call our Employer helpline on 0800 783 6000 or contact customer.services@sds.co.uk.

Would you like to bring a Foundation Apprentice into your business? You just need to fill in the Employer Foundation Apprenticeship form and our team will pass your details to learning providers in your area for the apprenticeship(s) you've chosen. They'll get back to you to discuss how you can support young people and develop the next generation of talent.

If you need help or information, call us on 0800 783 6000, check out our FAQs or read our Guidance for employers.

Employers can engage with learners throughout their journey on the programme. They can do this at key stages with varying levels of involvement.

The main employer involvement is the work placement for learners. Depending on the employer’s capacity this could be for one or more learners. It could take place virtually or in person.

Some Foundation Apprenticeships include projects rather than work placements. This is mainly on the Foundation Apprenticeships at SCQF Level 4/5, which are in pilot. Employers lead these projects and suggest the topics that will be covered.

The learning provider delivers the project with the Foundation Apprentices. The employers support the project by:

• commenting on the input from the learners

• offering encouragement and an insight into the world of work

• ensuring the project is up to date and relevant

There are 15 different Graduate Apprenticeship types available to study at SCQF Level 9 up to SCQF Level 11.

Find out more about Graduate Apprenticeships and how they could work for your business.

There are over 100 different Modern Apprenticeship types available to study at SCQF Level 4/5 up to SCQF Level 11.

Find out more about

Modern Apprenticeships

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) contributes to the costs of training and assessing Modern Apprentices.

In most cases we pay the learning provider you choose to deliver the apprenticeship. The level of our contribution depends on the:

• age of the apprentice

• qualification level

• apprenticeship sector

Find out more about funding for Modern Apprenticeships.

You can also contact your local authority to see if there is any other funding available to support recruitment or wage costs.

If you take on Foundation Apprentices, there’s no cost to you as the apprentice is still at school.

Graduate Apprentice learning costs are now funded by the Scottish Funding Council and Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

Find out more about funding for Graduate Apprenticeships.

Employers can engage with learners throughout their journey on the programme. They can do this at key stages with varying levels of involvement.

The main employer involvement is the work placement for learners. Depending on the employer’s capacity this could be for one or more learners. It could take place virtually or in person.

Some Foundation Apprenticeships include projects rather than work placements. This is mainly on the Foundation Apprenticeships at SCQF Level 4/5, which are in pilot. Employers lead these projects and suggest the topics that will be covered.

The learning provider delivers the project with the Foundation Apprentices. The employers support the project by:

• commenting on the input from the learners

• offering encouragement and an insight into the world of work

• ensuring the project is up to date and relevant

A Graduate Apprentice employer meets with the learning provider, also known as the delivery partner, to agree the structure of the Graduate Apprentice programme. This includes:

• assessment methods

• time spent at university

• projects that will need to be supported in the workplace

The employer also:

• attends regular meetings with the delivery partner and the Graduate Apprentice, who is their employee

• mentors the Graduate Apprentice and gets involved in training and assessment elements, as agreed with the learning provider

The role of the employer depends on the individual partnership between the employer and the university, college or other learning provider.

Find out more about how employers work with Graduate Apprenticeships

Search for a learning provider in your area

• Nominations for SME Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating.

• The SME Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with fewer than 250 employees.

• Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation. 

• Nominations for Large Employer of the Year should be completed by an employer, or a learning provider working in partnership with the employer they are nominating. 

• The Large Employer of the Year category is only open to apprentice employers, including public sector, with 250 or more employees. 

• Nominations in this category must be for an organisation and not a department or team within an organisation. 

Employers should continue to apply their standard Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) recruitment process. However, since 2021 the employee is required to apply for Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) funding for tuition fees. The employer should build in some extra time for this step.

The decision on learner eligibility for a GA will continue to be taken by the learning provider – the higher education institute or university. SAAS will not determine whether a learner is eligible.

The learning provider will advise the apprentice and employer on next steps when applying for SAAS. Find further guidance on the  SAAS website.

If you choose, you can hide the employer’s information in the vacancy advert. However, we don’t recommend this; it’s helpful if apprentices know as much as possible about the job they’re applying for.

Whether you choose to include or hide the details in the advert, you need to include employer information when you upload the vacancy to Apprenticeships.scot so we know who is advertising the role.