What does furlough mean for apprentices?

It seems like an age ago when the government extended its COVID furlough scheme and paid 80% of apprentices' wages so they could continue their studies. 

What did furlough mean? 

The government introduced furlough leave as part of its Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It was available for all UK businesses and all staff, including apprentices. 

Under the scheme, furloughed employees were still employed and on the employer's payroll, but the government paid 80% of their wages. Furloughed employees couldn't perform work duties and so were considered absent from work. 

The government introduced the scheme to help businesses maintain workforce continuity in uncertain times, manage their cashflow and reduce redundancies. 

How does furlough work for apprentices? 

According to HMRC, apprentices could 'be furloughed in the same way as other employees and (could) continue to train whilst furloughed.' This meant that although they couldn't perform work duties, apprentices could remain employees and continue with their training. 

Apprentices who were furloughed didn't need to take a break in learning. This was great for everyone - Learners because they could maintain their training momentum; and training providers, who could still claim funding for furloughed apprentices. (As long as they proved that they continued to support their progression with remote delivery). 

Employers could only furlough apprentices if they were paid 'at least the apprenticeship minimum wage, national living wage or national minimum wage as appropriate for all the time they spend training.' 

This meant that if 80% of the apprentice's wage was less than their appropriate minimum wage, employers had to cover the shortfall. 

What did this mean for training providers? 

The guidance was good news for training providers. If their apprentice were furloughed, they could still claim funding for them as they continued to support apprentices' progression with remote delivery. 

At the time, employers could put apprentices on furlough, keep them on the payroll and claim their wages - safeguarding loads of people's studies.  

What could apprentices do when they were furloughed? 

Furloughed apprentices couldn't perform work duties, but they could continue with their training. They could access elearning content, test their knowledge and complete remote reviews to maintain momentum in their learning - even while off work. It became a great opportunity for apprentices to progress towards the off-the-job minimum requirement - something many apprentices had struggled to fit around their normal working life. It meant that when apprentices got back to work, they were ahead of their off-the-job target and could spend more time working. 

Furloughing apprentices was an ideal solution for many learners at a very uncertain time. Apprentices could continue learning, get paid at least the national minimum wage and have a job to return to after all this was over. 

Training providers could still support apprentices remotely, claim funding and maintain their cashflow. And employers kept apprentices on the books, maintained their workforce and claimed 80% of their apprentices' wages. 

Working from home was a big adjustment for learners, tutors, managers and providers. To make sure you're prepared for something similar - via the right systems and processes for remote working, download your remote working checklist. It covers everything from video calling to safeguarding apprentices.