Information for Employers

What Can We Offer Employers?

• Industry Placements

  Industry Placements give our students the opportunity to gain an insight into a real working environment and the opportunity to gain key Industry knowledge, skills and experience the working behaviours within industry first hand. Industry placements  have replaced the traditional 1 to 2 week work experience with the aim of providing a mutually beneficial experience for both the employer and student.

  Our students work with employers around their  college timetable to gain long term experience and exposure in their desired industry. The employer gains a part skilled student who can be a valuable part of the business, providing a greater return of investment to those who are able to offer these opportunities.

  We offer Industry Placements in a variety of curriculum areas to students on Level 3 and Level 2 courses, aged 16 – 18 (or SEND students up to 24 years) across North Kent College and Hadlow College.

  Key Details:

  • To achieve this mutually beneficial partnership, we are seeking placements with a minimum of 315 + hours on a weekly basis of 1 or 2 days per week over 6 to 12 months. We aim to be flexible so that the placement model works for both parties.
  • Selecting your student - The College will support you in the selection process, from advertising vacancies, sending CVs, organising interviews, and liaising with the students. We can be flexible about start times to suit the business needs as long as the placement is outside their normal college timetable. We can also provide a matching service for students if you don’t wish to interview.
  • We will continually monitor  the student,  and will frequently review and discuss the student’s  progress with the employer at key stages throughout the placement this blends itself to giving the student a clear focus on their own performance and  progression and what they need to improve on through structured feedback.
  • Students will receive pre-employment training before joining you to ensure they understand your expectations around behaviour in the workplace, dress codes and timekeeping etc. We will discuss these with you beforehand to ensure any specific expectations are recorded. We will also discuss and set objectives for the students.
  • We expect your premises to comply with health and safety regulations, and that you hold the relevant insurance policies, as our student should be treated as an employee whilst in your workplace. We will carry out checks before the placement starts to verify policies are in place.
  • Students on industry placements do not expect to be paid but if you feel it would be appropriate you can pay the student. North Kent College will provide students with any PPE they may be required to wear, but we would expect any work-related tools, pens, workstations, desks, or facilities etc to be provided.

  Please note for Safeguarding purposes we cannot offer Industry Placements with sole traders or businesses based in a residential environment.

• Employability Sessions & Mentoring

  Our aim as a college is to ensure we can successfully prepare our students for the industry they are training towards. We achieve this by combining their qualification training with essential employability skills-based training sessions.

  An integral part of the employability skills-based training sessions is to provide access and exposure to Industry professionals who are willing to share their own career journeys and the steppingstone pathways in which they took to map out their successful careers. This also provides an opportunity for students to gain a better insight into the relevant industry and broaden their knowledge of industry, progression routes and opportunities within Industry, and planning for their next steps.

  If you can provide guidance and advice to the workforce of the future, please call us on 01732 372038 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Employment Opportunities

  We are grateful to any employer who is looking to recruit our students. They are required to be in education until they are 18 therefore they are primarily available for part time opportunities.

  Throughout the College academic year we are more than happy to share part time working opportunities with our students.

  If you are looking to fulfil a full time position we can offer these to our students at the end of the academic year only around April/May.

  Please call us on 01732 372038 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss further.

Apprenticeships benefits to employing an apprentice

Apprenticeships are an exciting option for both apprentice and employer. You can employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates to people who want to further their careers or change career direction completely. You can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee. As an employer, you can get funding from the government to help pay for apprenticeship training.

The benefits for your business

Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

• 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation.
• 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity.
• 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service.

Other benefits of working with apprentices include:

• you can adapt their training according to the needs of your business.
• they’re motivated to learn new skills.
• you can expand and upskill your workforce.

There are three levels of apprenticeship available:

• Intermediate Level 2: equivalent to five A* to C’s at GCSE
• Advanced Level 3: equivalent to two A Levels
• Higher Level 4 & 5: equivalent to an HND or Foundation Degree

The Levy

• Levy employers who take on an Apprentice, can utilise their apprenticeship Levy Funds   to pay for their apprentices training course costs.
• If you don't pay the Levy and take on a 16–18-year-old, their training costs are FREE - the Government pays this. If they are over 19 years old, you only pay 5% of the cost of training and the Government picks up the other 95%. (This also applies to 19–24-year-olds who have previously been in care or who have a local authority education, health, and care plan.)
• There is a National Minimum Wage for apprentices. However, many employers prefer to pay more, 
• The current minimum hourly rate for an Apprentice is £6.40 , This is reviewed annually, and changes will come into effect from the 01^st  of April year on year

Employer Incentive's for Hiring an Apprentice

Employers and training providers could get £1,000 each for taking on an apprentice who is either:

Eligibility

• aged 16 to 18 years old, or
• aged 19 to 25 years old and has an education, health, and care (EHC) plan or has been in the care of their local authority.