Sara Lewis

Apprentice changing employer during EPA

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We have an apprentice who has received the date of their EPA however they will be changing employers before EPA takes place.  Does the apprentice need to be set up on the new employers DAS and a new apprenticeship agreement need to be set up with the employer, or can they continue through the EPA process without any changes?

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Steve Hewitt

Here's the thing, if it's a Levy learner, I doubt the old employer will be too happy about a big old 20% payment coming out of their pot?

I mean, by the letter of the rules, you definitely should, even if it's non-levy to non-levy (but I'm now trying to work out exactly which audit test would catch it ;))...

Ruth Canham-James

Yes, we'd get the new employer to sign up, and agree to pay the outstanding amount. Usually the 20% completion, but it depends.

Unless the apprentice was made redundant, they have to be employed when they do their EPA, and ESFA won't fund them. You can't charge the old employer for the completion if they've left there (which is what would happen if you didn't make any changes to the data), and if you don't get the new employer set up, you lose the completion payment.

Steve Hewitt

I'm not disagreeing with Ruth! ;)

(but, if you got all the contribution up front and the old employer isn't desperate for 20% of the £300 they paid a year ago back...)

Ruth Canham-James

I don't think we ever disagree Steve!

I had that thought too. If the first employer was non-levy, they probably already paid, and wouldn't even notice if you didn't refund them, but I wouldn't condone that sort of thing. 

Carrie Rogers

We currently have this situation - learner apparently moved employer 3 days after entering EPA Gateway.

Just wondering with regards the HMRC issue - do they check that the learner was employed by the 'funding' employer on AED or ACH Date?  

Andrew Calderbank

Hi

Have we ever had a solution to this as we are getting more and more of these changes of employer during gateway?

Does the new employer have to set up a DAS account for the learner, and if so for how much?  And what if no funding is outstanding at that point - we have one where they just need to re-sit one part of their EPA and the re-take cost is over the funding band max!

We're also worried that adding residual costs reduces our completion payment to 20% of the residual rather than 20% of the TNP.

Thanks 

Christine Gregory

Hi, we have this situation.  What do you record in the ILR in relation start/PE dates as we had to record apprentice as withdrawal due to the 30 day rule for change of employer?

Thanks

(Edited)

Claire Newport

Hi all, did anyone find a solution to this? We've just had the same case crop up.

Thanks

Ruth Canham-James

The answer is still the same, you should get the new employer to sign them up, and agree to pay for the completion. You can choose to charge very little if you're not too worried about the money, and just want to get the pass sorted. The new employer would need to set them up in the DAS. Otherwise, you just can't let them sit the EPA.

If they're already at gateway, there's no need for a break, as there's no learning to take a break from.

June Gray

Hi All,

 

I think I know the answer to this, but here goes. If a learner is with a new employer, the new employer doesn't want to be signed up. we have withdrawn the apprentice. Can the apprentice self fund the STANDARD/EPA? TIA