Apprenticeships

In 2015 the UK Government set an ambitious target to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020.

To put employers in the driving seat the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017 which saw the shift the control of apprenticeship funding to employers.

In addition to the levy, groups of employers came together to design new apprenticeship standards for occupations in different sectors, these groups were known as trailblazers. This means that training goes beyond a single job or employer and ensures that apprentices can adapt to a variety of roles, with different employers, and develop the ability to progress their careers.

These standards define the detail covering the knowledge, skills and behaviours which apprentices in their sector require to be successful in the workplace.

The trailblazers then developed a plan on how these apprentices will be assessed throughout and upon successful completion of their apprenticeship.

CIMA were actively involved in these groups with employers including KPMG, and PwC, multinationals and public sector organisations, to develop the new apprenticeship standards and the assessment plan for the accounting/taxation sector.

More general information can be found at the Institute for Apprenticeships. 

Level 4 apprenticeship

Apprentices can study the Certificate in Business Accounting through the Professional Accounting / Tax Technician apprenticeship standard.

The CIMA Cert BA is our entry-level qualification for people with little or no accounting background and gives a foundation to a career in business and finance. 

Studying the CIMA Cert BA will give apprentices business and finance skills for now and into the future, including accounting, management accounting and business principles.

Level 7 apprenticeship 

At this level, apprentices can study the CIMA Professional Qualification through the Level 7 Professional Accountant Standard whilst also developing key skills and behaviours such as leadership, communication and problem solving.

The CIMA Professional Qualification is recognised worldwide as the most relevant global finance qualification for a career in business. 

As accountants in business, management accountants need to understand how businesses operate, how they are managed, how people work together and how strategy is formulated. 

Paying for study via the apprenticeship levy makes sense for a lot of businesses. However, there may be circumstances where putting an employee through an apprenticeship may not be appropriate so it's worth considering a few questions before selecting the apprenticeship option. 

• What do you want to achieve?
• What are your organisation's objectives around apprenticeships?
• Does the apprenticeship work under our current learning model or do we need to re-evaluate this?
• We're a global organisation, does the learning model fit into the learning of similar people in other countries. If not what impact does this have?
• Can you comply with the government funding rules?

Utilising the levy to its full potential can have a positive impact across your organisation, supporting your business strategies and operations.

Now is an ideal time to review your L&D strategy to fully utilise the Apprenticeship Levy. we expect to see budgets become increasingly ring-fenced and centralised moving forwards.

Our apprenticeship team are on hand to discuss your options and help you work out a solution that is right for your organisation and your team. 

Email apprenticeships@aicpa-cima.com to arrange an initial discussion. 

Benefits to your organisation

• A cost-effective way to develop a motivated, skilled and qualified finance function that can help drive your business forward.
• A stronger talent pipeline which can be accessed earlier.
• A foundation upon which employers can build a distinctive programme.
• Apprenticeships can deliver real returns to your bottom line, help improve productivity and make your company more competitive.
• Apprenticeships deliver skills designed around your business needs.
• Apprentices help you develop any specialist skills you need, helping you to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in your sector.

Study options

The delivery is through registered training providers. We recommend developing a programme suited to your organisation to deliver your business goals. Please refer to the SFA’s Register of Training Organisations to select your provider or contact us for more information on providers offering CIMA apprenticeship training.

Accounting apprenticeships consist of two elements: an on-programme assessment and an end-point assessment.

The on-programme assessment is an important element of the learning process as apprentices acquire the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours which are learnt through tuition and on-the-job learning. The on-programme stage is where apprentices undertake the CIMA Certificate in Business Accouting at Level 4 and the CIMA Professional Qualification at Level 7.

Additionally, the apprentice will be required to consider the skills and behaviours they are developing throughout the apprenticeship programme and record or log these in preparation for the end-point assessment. This will be undertaken with the support of the training provider.

The second element, the end-point assessment is an assessment of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that have been learnt throughout the apprenticeship.  The purpose of the assessment is to make sure the apprentice meets the standard set by employers and is fully competent in their role.

As well as the CIMA Qualification being able to be studied through an apprenticeship as part of on programme with a registered training provider we are taking the role of an end point assessment organisation.

These assessments leverage some of our exams and have required us to build some new assessments.  It's important to note that, even though we are leveraging some of our current exams, this assessment is independent to the CIMA Qualification and for assessment of the apprenticeship award. In fact, any apprentice is able to undertake this assessment at the end of their programme regardless of what qualification they have studied.

Time frame

The timeframe for completion of an apprenticeship is 12-36 months, although this is flexible depending on the employer and apprentice's ability to complete earlier but must be a minimum of 12 months.