Apprenticeship FAQs

A. Both of our programmes are £9,000 per learner as per the funding bandings set for apprenticeships.

However – if your applicants demonstrate prior learning or experience, this would be considered in calculating the price.

If your company is an Apprenticeship Levy payer, you may also be eligible for ‘co-investment’, where you are only liable to pay for 5% of the total course cost. Speak to us directly to discuss your circumstances and needs.

A. Since April 2021, all apprenticeships in England must be registered and managed via the online ‘Apprenticeships Portal’ (sometimes still referred to as the Digital Apprenticeship Service). For more information on registering your company to use the portal, follow the guide provided by Government here, but we are happy to help any employer setting up for the first time.

A.We recruit all year round, not just September. Contact us to find out when our next cohort spaces will be available

A. Please Contact us in the first instance so that we can discuss your needs. Once we have received an application form signed by both the learner and employer, we will allocate the learner  a provisional place on our waiting list. Cohorts are filled on a first come first served basis, driven by the date we receive completed application forms. Once received we will begin our onboarding process which includes an initial assessment interview and online maths and English diagnostics. If your learner is eligible and suitable,  the learner’s place on a cohort is confirmed and both of you will be notified of the next steps.

A. See our grants and incentives guide, or contact CITB for more information on claiming travel, attendance and achievement grants. Potentially, CITB eligible companies can claim up to £2,500 a year, plus £3,500 for apprentices fully completing the course.

A. We do not cover the cost or provide accommodation or travel. However if you would like to place students from further afield with us, this is fine and there is funding support available via CITB’s ‘Travel to train’ scheme. There are several hotels and good local transport links to enable apprentices to get to us easily during block releases.

A. There are no age restrictions for apprenticeships but the course should always provide new knowledge, skills or experience – to justify enrolling experienced staff there must be a demonstrable benefit to their role to do so. Our onboarding process includes a pre-induction interview and evidence gathering stage and we will discuss with you any recommendations we have regarding prospective candidates on a case-by-case basis. If appropriate, we may offer alternative options to an apprenticeship.

A. Potentially, depending on the degree and other factors Construction management related qualifications from HNC, HND to Foundation Degree and full BSc programmes have too much overlap with the programme we deliver, and funding could not be justified as ‘new learning’. For other subjects, such as building surveying, engineering and architecture, there may be cross over that might reduce the price or learning required; but the candidate could still participate and complete the apprenticeship. Speak to us regarding your candidates and we will work with you to find the most appropriate route for them.

A. Each candidate and their employer will receive a plan of training and commitment statement, detailing the course anticipated end dates. They will also receive an email with all delivery dates to plan training or holiday commitments. Any end date is also subject to the learner completing the programme as directed and could be extended if required for individual circumstances.

A. On our Construction Site Supervisor apprenticeship – Higher Technical Apprenticeship Site Supervisor and Level 4 NVQ, Site Supervision (residential pathway).

On our Bricklayering apprenticeship -  Bricklayer Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard.

There are self study and consolidation weeks built into the programme at various points. NHBC apprenticeships do not have a formal “term” as such, providing more flexibility for builder employers. We do however have a longer break with no delivery at Christmas and again at Easter, and a three week period of no delivery in June this coincides with most, but not all builders year end busy periods by design.

Learners should notify us of pre-booked annual leave in advance and notify us of any sickness, bereavement special leave, paternity etc. Covering site should never be an acceptable reason for non attendance.

Each session is mandatory to attend – failure to attend will result in missed hours from the training plan, and there for a potential deficit of off the job hours required to complete the course. . If learners miss training days for any reason, they must repeat the delivery days at another point to accrue that training time. Consistent failure to attend training to cover site activities has a proven impact to learners ability to complete assignments.

A. Our programmes focus on minimising the time you need to be away from your place of work, and also don’t work to academic year calendars. We aim for Site Supervisors and Bricklayers to have completed their programmes in 18 months, dependant on circumstances and adherence to the plan of training.

A. If you are completing the Site Supervisor apprenticeship, the only time you may need to travel is to complete Functional Skills exams. In time, we hope to be able to provide these in your workplace. For Bricklaying apprentices, all of our face-to-face learning is delivered at our Training Hub and you will need to travel and complete block release weeks there.

A. No. We will provide everything you need during your training day, your employer is  responsible for any cost and organisation of travel.

Level 2 Bricklaying

For learners on our bricklaying programme, you will need a minimum of GCSE grade D/3 and above or equivalent qualification and provide evidence. If you do not have the required GCSE level, you will be supported to complete maths and English training and take your level 1 Functional Skills exam as part of the programme. You will also need to attempt to complete Functional Skills exams at level 2 if you have not already achieved at GCSE C/4 or above.

Level 4 Site Supervision

To fully complete the level 4 apprenticeship all learners must have GCSE maths and English at grade C/4 or above or another equivalent qualification and provide evidence. If you do not have this already you will be supported to complete level 2 Functional Skills training and pass your exam in the relevant subject as part of this course.

A. Our application form asks whether you consent to us accessing your  public learner record. Providing you are happy for us to do so, if your records are up to date we can download a report of the qualifications you have completed.

If you completed your exams earlier than 2012 you can approach your former school or college and confirm who your Awarding Body was, and how to contact them. You can then apply for copies of your certificates for a fee (and keep them safe!)

Alternatively, you can also apply for a copy of your own Personal Learner Record via the Government here.

A. Apprenticeships are carefully designed to ensure that learners gain valuable skills, knowledge and experience in the role of their choice. Our apprenticeships have been designed in collaboration with many of the UK’s major house builders, so if  your child completes one of our apprenticeships, we will make sure that they have gained the key knowledge that we know the industry wants their young professionals to learn. Our candidates also learn extra, NHBC-specific information that will help them towards being the best they can be in the industry. Our bricklaying programme for instance includes working towards specific NHBC Standards, not routinely taught in other apprenticeships at entry level.

A. No. We will provide everything your child needs during their training day, their employer would be responsible for any cost and organisation of travel and accommodation. They will have a point of contact at all times with us and their employer should they have any concerns whilst staying over for the training weeks.

Comparisons between qualifications can be difficult as it depends somewhat on how the learner plans to progress their career. The level 4 Construction Site Supervisor programme not only provides an NVQ level 4 in site supervision, but the apprenticeship as a whole also carries equivalent value to provide eligibility for higher education courses, such as HNDs, foundation degrees, or degree programmes.

Bricklayers will achieve an Intermediate Standard Apprenticeship at level 2 – but again with a wealth of NHBC-specific build standard knowledge unique to us.

A. Our Bricklaying programme is delivered from our purpose built Training hub in Tamworth, with more Hubs in other locations being planned for for the future. Our Construction Site Supervisor programme, primarily for older learners, is run entirely virtually via Zoom sessions.

Whilst at our Training Hub, apprentices are supervised at all times and are required to adhere to the same health and safety standards and use of protective equipment that is expected on a well-managed building site.  They are fully trained on appropriate use of any equipment, with risk assessment and method statements in place.

Our Training Hub is covered by CCTV, closed to general public admission with any guests also fully supervised.  Our staff are fully trained in both Safeguarding and Prevent Duty, required for all educational establishments and apprentices encouraged to be open and honest on any concerns they might have. Our learners’ safety and welfare is our prime concern, just like on the building sites they will work on in the future – there’s nothing more important than going home safe and well at the end of the working day.