The UK’s first Payroll Administrator apprenticeship standard has now entered the approval stage and could be up-and-running in as little as six weeks.
The proposed standard, which was published on the Institute for Apprenticeships’ website on 8 March, is a Level three qualification (equivalent to an ‘A’ level) that will only apply to apprentices who perform at least 50% of their duties in England.
The apprenticeship will be targeted not just at young people, but at any professional who is keen to obtain a recognised qualification.
Ian Holloway, head of legislation and compliance at Cintra HR & Payroll Services who coordinates the TrailBlazer employers’ group responsible for developing the standard, announced the standard’s new status at the Global Payroll Association’s UK Payroll Summit 2018 in London this week.
He said: “There’s a terrific skills, resource and knowledge gap in the payroll profession and so the aim is for the apprenticeship to fill the gap. But don’t necessarily just think young, spotty kid with acne – think wider.”
While the proposal and standard have already been approved, the same is not yet true of the assessment plan element. It has also not yet been decided what funding band it has been assigned (how much of an employer’s apprenticeship levy fund can be spent on it). The assessment plan comprises three parts:
- On-programme: This part of the assessment is undertaken by the apprentice’s training provider, which evaluates whether they have got to grips with the course;
- Gateway: At this stage, apprentices must demonstrate they can put their learning into practice. If so, they agree with their employer that the time is right to move onto the next stage:
- End-point assessment: An independent provider will implement and use three, equally-weighted assessment methods, based on criteria developed by the TrailBlazer employers’ group, to establish whether the apprentice in question has acquired the requisite knowledge, skills and behaviour to pass. These comprise:
- Multiple choice questions to test their knowledge;
- A role simulation case study to test their response to a given situation:
- Verbal test to discuss other areas that have not already been covered.
Once the apprentice has succeeded in all three assessments, they are awarded a certificate of completion with either a pass or distinction.
“The apprenticeship standard was designed by professionals for professionals,” said Holloway. “It will help to upskill people and replace older workers as they retire. It’s the future of payroll.”
The Trailblazer employers’ group is also exploring whether to develop Level five supervisor (equivalent to a diploma) and Level seven manager (equivalent to masters degrees, postgraduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas) standards in future.
Cath Everett, content editor of GPA.Live
The UK’s first Payroll Administrator apprenticeship standard has now entered the approval stage and could be up-and-running in as little as six weeks.
The proposed standard, which was published on the Institute for Apprenticeships’ website on 8 March, is a Level three qualification (equivalent to an ‘A’ level) that will only apply to apprentices who perform at least 50% of their duties in England.
The apprenticeship will be targeted not just at young people, but at any professional who is keen to obtain a recognised qualification.
Ian Holloway, head of legislation and compliance at Cintra HR & Payroll Services who coordinates the TrailBlazer employers’ group responsible for developing the standard, announced the standard’s new status at the Global Payroll Association’s UK Payroll Summit 2018 in London this week.
He said: “There’s a terrific skills, resource and knowledge gap in the payroll profession and so the aim is for the apprenticeship to fill the gap. But don’t necessarily just think young, spotty kid with acne – think wider.”
While the proposal and standard have already been approved, the same is not yet true of the assessment plan element. It has also not yet been decided what funding band it has been assigned (how much of an employer’s apprenticeship levy fund can be spent on it). The assessment plan comprises three parts:
- On-programme: This part of the assessment is undertaken by the apprentice’s training provider, which evaluates whether they have got to grips with the course;
- Gateway: At this stage, apprentices must demonstrate they can put their learning into practice. If so, they agree with their employer that the time is right to move onto the next stage:
- End-point assessment: An independent provider will implement and use three, equally-weighted assessment methods, based on criteria developed by the TrailBlazer employers’ group, to establish whether the apprentice in question has acquired the requisite knowledge, skills and behaviour to pass. These comprise:
- Multiple choice questions to test their knowledge;
- A role simulation case study to test their response to a given situation:
- Verbal test to discuss other areas that have not already been covered.
Once the apprentice has succeeded in all three assessments, they are awarded a certificate of completion with either a pass or distinction.
“The apprenticeship standard was designed by professionals for professionals,” said Holloway. “It will help to upskill people and replace older workers as they retire. It’s the future of payroll.”
The Trailblazer employers’ group is also exploring whether to develop Level five supervisor (equivalent to a diploma) and Level seven manager (equivalent to masters degrees, postgraduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas) standards in future.
Cath Everett, content editor of GPA.Live
