Using the Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS)

We all live in an online world, so it stands to reason that you must have a digital account if you want to offer an apprenticeship in England. 

Creating an account via the Gov.Uk website is easy. Just follow the simple steps and you'll soon be un and running. 

Whether you're a small local business with a team of 10 or a huge employer like the NHS with more than a million employees, you must register for DAS, the government's Digital Apprenticeship Service, if you want to recruit apprentices, access funding and manage applicants and vacancies. 

It doesn't matter whether you pay into the apprenticeship levy or not - you'll still have to sign up to DAS. 

DAS's history  

The online DAS portal was purpose-built for employers so that they could manage their levy payments, access funds and search for training providers all in one place. 

But when DAS was first introduced in February 2017 as part of apprenticeship reforms, it didn't apply to everyone.  Back then only levy-paying employers - those with a wage bill over £3 million who contributed to the levy - could access it.  

Two years later, the service started to catch up and acknowledged that it wasn't only big employers who wanted to go digital. So, SMEs - small and medium sized employers - were invited to join DAS, but only if they met a strict set of criteria  

At that time, SMEs who had an apprenticeship vacancy that started in August, September or October 2019 were invited to take part. The SME employer also had to be working with a training provider that offered training to other non-levy paying employers.  And they had to have apprenticeship funding available to spend.   

DAS now 

Fortunately, these limitations no longer apply and all employers, regardless of size, sector or levy paying status, can enjoy the ease and convenience of using a dedicated online portal. 

Further changes have also been brought on recently by the Department for Education that help employers, and their apprentices, locate the services they need more easily.  

GOV.UK One Login streamlines access through a single sign-on, removing the hassle of managing various usernames and passwords. And five functions within DAS now use One Login. They are: 

• Confirm My Apprenticeship 

• Find an Apprenticeship 

• Apprenticeship Assessment Service 

• Apprenticeship Provider & Assessment Register 

• Employer Services 

This latest expansion not only strengthens the apprenticeship program, but also highlights the platform's broader mission, as it continues to extend its reach across other critical government services, says the DfE.  

As well as DAS, One Login is now being used across 50 such areas, including Companies House and DBS, the government's Disclosure and Debarring Service.  

To find out more about the Digital Apprenticeship Service, download our employer starter pack. It will tell you everything you need to know about hiring an apprentice - from funding to ROI.