New Level 3 Make-up Course Starting after Easter!

Update with reference to the new Apprenticeship Standards funding model for none levy paying Employers:

The New Apprenticeship standards:

Extract from:

Apprenticeship Funding

Apprenticeship funding in England from May 2017

Small employer co-investment waiver

38. We know that smaller employers have historically played a very important role in helping young people into the workforce for the first time. We want to continue to support smaller employers to take on younger apprentices.

39. Employers with fewer than 50 people working for them will be able to train 16 to 18 year old apprentices without making a contribution towards the costs of training and assessment up to the funding band maximum. Instead the government will pay 100% of the training costs for these individuals. Nine out of ten non-levied employers responding to our survey agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal, with only 4% disagreeing. A significant majority of levied employers (79%) and providers (81%) also agreed.

Extract from:

Guidance: Apprenticeship funding: how it will work

Updated 13 February 2017

Employers that don’t pay the levy

If you do not pay the levy, you won’t need to use the apprenticeship service to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment until at least 2018. When we ask you to start using the apprenticeship service to pay for apprenticeship training, we will help you to prepare.

When the new funding system begins in May 2017, you can choose the training you’d like your apprentices to receive, an approved training provider and an assessment organisation using the registers available on the apprenticeship service. Help with this is available from the National Apprenticeship Service. 

If you would like to join our Employer forum to keep up to date with the new changes to standards please email: sally.marsh@oracle-uk.com

Other interesting updates....

Other Interesting facts about Oracle’s development …….

Did you know that ……?

·       Our Business Plan has now been updated and is available for anyone to access. If you would like a copy please contact sally.marsh@oracle-uk.com

·       A quick reminder to Employers employing Apprenticeships in their Salon. The national minimum wage will increase on 1^st April. Details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

·       Learner attendance for the last quarter was 79%. This is up 4% on the last two quarters. We have now started to record and address lateness. Currently, in the last quarter 10% of learners were late for their training session. We need to stress how important it is to not be late for your sessions! Please be on time so as to get the maximum out of your time at Oracle and to not disrupt others from their own learning. Please show mutual respect to your trainer and colleagues and get here on time! Three times late will result in a meeting with senior managers and could include your Employer.

·       Top Attendance record for the last quarter goes to Teresa Stacey and Rebecca Murray, with a joint score of 82%! Well done!

·       We said goodbye last month to Andrea Steel, one of our Beauty Trainers who is going to work for the product nail company, Calgel. We wish her well and welcome her replacement, Amy Whittaker, who was a learner at Oracle herself, once upon a time!!

Quarter 2 update

Quarter 2 Update – February 2017.

Do you know what’s been happening at Oracle in the last 3 months…?

• ·        I’m really proud to announce that 86% of those learners targeted to achieve one of their milestones in the last 3 months have done so in a timely manner; that is a staggering 23% rise in progression achievements since our last quarterly report and a 37% rise since November 2015. Well done everyone, keep up the good work!!
• ·        We have had 24 sustained new learners starting on programmes with us since 1^st November! 17 Apprentices; 2 adult learners, 3 Study Programme, 2 Traineeships. Welcome all new learners!!
• ·        New courses for advanced learner loans will be starting in the spring - keep an eye on our Facebook page! New Level 3 courses will include Body Therapy and Make-up Artistry. For more information on Learner Loans please contact Amber at amber.mackintosh@oracle-uk.com (Doncaster) or emma.jones@oracle-uk.com (Rotherham)
• ·        100% of learners due to complete Functional Skills in the last quarter passed with flying colours!! Well done!
• ·        88% of those learners leaving and achieving their Programme have had a positive destination; either into a job, going self employed or progressing onto an Advanced Apprenticeship or Further/Higher Education.
• ·        We welcome our Italian Students this month for a nine week internship. They will be attending technical sessions in Oracle as well as English speaking lessons and will be working in local salons to gain valuable experience to embrace technical and cultural differences. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Employers who have kindly offered them a placement!
• ·        Tell us what you think! We welcome all productive comments, so if you have any suggestions as to how we can improve our service, please post them in our ‘Talk to me Tank’ or email carol.watson@oracle-uk.com