A guide to Apprentice Incentive Grants (and more) for employers

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Apprentice Incentive Grants and other perks for employers

Across the care sector, every employer knows the importance of attracting and retaining skilled, motivated staff. Apprenticeship training offer the perfect solution. They help you upskill your team, build resilience, and ensure your organisation thrives both now and in the future, especially when you draw on a wide range of health and social care training courses.

Here’s the added bonus: apprenticeship training costs are minimal. There are many ways to access apprenticeship funding. In fact, the UK government is offering generous incentive payments to employers who recruit apprentices. Plus, there are a host of other advantages to utilising apprenticeships. That means you can strengthen your workforce while actually boosting your budget.

With tend guiding you through the Apprentice Incentive Grant, additional incentives, and eligibility, it’s never been easier. Below, we break down the details to give you an idea of how much you could save by having apprentices on your team.

What are Apprentice Incentive Grants?

The Apprentice Incentive Grant is a UK Government initiative that offers employers money for having apprentices employed on their teams. It provides financial support to organisations who recruit apprentices and upskill staff with apprenticeship training, particularly in essential sectors like healthcare.

These specialist grants are intended to offset training and assessment costs, minimise spend, reduce financial risk, and encourage companies to invest in quality professional development for employees. Grants help cover initial expenses for apprentices, such as equipment and travel fares.

Apprentice Incentive Grants: eligibility and compliance

Meeting the criteria and ongoing compliance regulations for the Apprentice Incentive Grant varies depending on the size of your organisation, the characteristics of the apprenticeship programmes selected, the qualification levels your staff are studying, and the priorities of your sector.

As your training provider, tend will work with you to verify that your organisation meets the fundamental requirements before supporting you in applying for incentive funding.

Employer eligibility criteria might include things like:

• Ensuring you’re registered with relevant apprenticeship authorities
• Demonstration of your commitment to structured training and assessment
• Evidence that you have capacity to supervise and mentor apprentices
• Proof of compliance to employment law and minimum wage

Apprentice eligibility might take into account:

• Candidates who are first-time apprentices new to working
• The apprentice’s circumstances; for example, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented groups
• Learners going into high-demand occupations or critical sectors
• Apprentices progressing through qualification levels sequentially

The team at tend with work with you to gather all the evidence of eligibility, and manage apprenticeships effectively, to help avoid government funding compliance errors and any unwanted penalties.

How much can you claim?

Employers can currently receive incentive payments for every apprentice they employ. This includes:

• £3,000 incentive for each apprentice you recruit, regardless of age
• £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant when employing eligible 18-24-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit for 6 months or more
• £1,000 additional payment when you hire young apprentices aged 16–18, or 19–24 with an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP), or if they have been in the care of their local authority

These payments apply to each eligible apprentice, and if granted, are usually made directly to your business bank account in two instalments. In terms of a payment schedule, the first payment is made after 90 days, and the second after 365 days. This is provided the apprentice remains in post for at least a year. tend will keep you informed if any of these rules vary between schemes. Our team will also ensure that you put in a claim for as many of the incentives that your organisation is entitled to.

Some foundation apprenticeships are eligible for up to £2,000 Employer Incentive Grants. You can find out which standards apply on the Skills England website.

Understanding funding bands

As the learner’s employer, you choose the training you’d like your team member(s) to receive. All new starts (as in, newly-enrolled apprentices) must follow an approved apprenticeship standard. Each standard falls within a particular funding band, based on recommendations from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) – now known as Skills England. These range from £1,500, to a funding band maximum of £27,000. Education (health and care) programmes can vary in fee costs, although Skills England does regularly review existing funding bands.

All current apprenticeship standards include End-Point Assessment (EPA). The allocated funding band therefore includes the cost of End-Point Assessment, as well as training costs.

The funding band sets the definitive amount of apprenticeship funds that:

• you can use towards an individual learner’s course if you pay the apprenticeship levy
• the government will co-invest towards the programme if you are not a levy-paying employer, or don’t have the available levy funds in your apprenticeship service account

You can find out more about the apprenticeship levy, levy payers, non-levy payers, and whether you are a levy-paying or non-levy-paying organisation in our Employer’s Guide to the Apprenticeship Levy.

When and how to apply for incentives and funding

Rest assured, the process is straightforward. Simply register for a Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account, and submit your claim before the published deadline dates. With tend, you don’t need to worry about missing out. Our team will guide you step by step on how to navigate your Digital Apprenticeship Service account, ensuring you claim everything you’re entitled to.

From start to finish, we’ll make the process stress-free, so you can focus on what matters most: supporting your staff and delivering high-quality care through accredited health and social care apprenticeships.

Other perks for employers with apprentices on staff

Employers who train their employees with apprenticeships can also enjoy:

• National insurance savings: you may be eligible for reductions in employer National Insurance contributions, which could save your health and social care organisations £100’s of pounds. You can use tend’s National Insurance Savings Calculator to see how much you could save.
• SME Hiring Incentive: up to £2,000 for non-levy employers with fewer than 250 employees employing apprentices aged 18-24 (for eligible starts from 01 October 2026).
• Free apprenticeship recruitment support: tend offers no-cost assistance in hiring the right people for your business.

tend will help you identify all financial opportunities pertaining to apprenticeships. According to Apprenticeships.gov.uk, in the UK, the estimated yearly gain for employers is between £2,500 and £18,000 per apprentice (on average) during their training period. Our team will help you to maximise these gains, and benefit from a variety of free services in addition to those gains.

Careers with heart, skills with purpose

tend is more than a training provider. We’re your partner in success, dedicated to turning learners into leaders who set the example of excellence in care. Our apprenticeships are designed specifically for care providers and professionals, with adult care apprenticeships that develop skilled, confident staff, ensuring your team learns skills that truly make a difference in the workplace, and people’s lives.

When your staff complete their programmes, they won’t just walk away with qualifications. They’ll be able to proudly claim they are tend-trained. This is recognised as a mark of excellence recognised across the sector and is underpinned by programmes such as our Level 2 Adult Care Worker apprenticeship.

Real benefits for your organisation

BrBringing apprentices on board doesn’t just unlock funding. It helps you:

• Build a pipeline of skilled staff tailored to your needs through healthcare apprenticeships for a range of roles
• Boost morale and retention by investing in your team’s development
• Demonstrate your commitment to quality care and workforce sustainability by developing staff through the Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner apprenticeship
• Secure financial incentives to reinvest in your organisation

Our employer partners consistently tell us that working with tend gives them the confidence and support they need to maximise both the funding available, as well as the long-term impact of apprenticeships, as shown in our employer case study with King’s College Hospital.

Investing in the future of care

Apprenticeships benefit all parties. Apprentices are paid a salary while gaining practical experience and fully-funded, recognised qualifications, and employers enjoy financial benefits, like not having to pay National insurance for apprentices under the age of 25, and 100% government funding for apprentices under the age of 21. Everybody wins.

Recruiting apprentices with tend means more than just filling a role. It means investing in the future of care, supporting the next generation of professionals, and strengthening your organisation from the inside out.

With the government incentives that are available, there’s never been a better time to act. You’ll grow your workforce, and receive valuable financial support to make it happen while building adult social care apprenticeship pathways that support career-long learning.

Together, we’ll ensure your staff are not only highly skilled but also confident, compassionate, and proud to say they are tend-trained.

Ready to explore your options and enhance your team? Reach out to the tend team today. Call 01753 596 004 or hit the button below.