Modern Apprentices can view COVID-19 FAQs below, offering advice, support and relevant contact information.
Although your local careers centre is currently closed in line with the government COVID-19 advice, you can still get careers advice.
Careers advisers are available over the phone or online. If you want to speak to your school careers adviser, you can call your local centre and ask for them by name.
Call your local careers centre or visit myworldofwork.co.uk
For resources and advice on looking after your mental well-being, please see Well-being Support.
You may also be experiencing personal issues such as bereavement, addiction or domestic abuse. You can find information on a wide range of topics, including the support available to you if you have been affected by any of the issues, at BBC Action Line.
SDS is working with SQA and other awarding bodies to support their guidance for individuals and learning providers to ensure that the effects of disruption are minimised and that wherever possible, apprentices and learners are not negatively impacted in the long term.
SQA are posting frequent updates for learners on their website.
We will update with further information specific to apprenticeships as soon as this is available.
In the meantime, Modern Apprentices should follow the guidance provided by their learning provider e.g. college or training centre, along with the advice of their employer.
This may be possible depending on your apprenticeship and whether online learning is available from your learning provider. Please contact your learning provider to discuss your options.
If someone in your household has COVID-19 then you need to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days. You will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.
Make sure to tell your employer and learning provider as soon as possible if you can’t come to work. You should let them know the reason and how long you expect to be off for.
Depending on your apprenticeship and learning provider, you might be able to complete your learning in a different way such as online. This should be discussed with your employer and learning provider.
If you can’t access your learning through different methods such as online, then you might be about to resume your learning once you’re back in the workplace.
Yes, the latest guidance from HMRC confirms apprentices can be furloughed in the same way as other employees, and can continue to train whilst furloughed. You should speak to your training provider to get more advice and guidance.
Employers are still recruiting during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you were recently successful in your apprenticeship application but have still to start the role, you should contact your new employer as soon as possible.
They’ll provide information about your induction and the next steps you should take to begin your apprenticeship. You should also contact your learning provider to understand if and how you will access training remotely.
If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) or live with someone that does, then you can’t leave your home. This is called self-isolation. You should apply for an isolation note on the NHS website to give to your employer.
Apprenticeships are designed to be responsive to changes to your circumstances such as a period of illness. Please talk to your employer and learning provider about the best way to continue your apprenticeship.
Options might include e-learning, breaks in learning or rescheduling of planned assessment activity.
Discuss this with your employer and learning provider as soon as you can. The appropriate steps need to be agreed based on you, your employer and learning provider’s situation.
No, you must self-isolate for 14 days if someone in your household has COVID-19 symptoms. You should notify your employer and learning provider as soon as possible. You’ll also need to apply for an isolation note on the NHS website to give to your employer.
We understand you might feel you don’t want to go into work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government has provided a list of businesses that must close during the COVID-19 pandemic. If your workplace is still open, the advice is that you can travel to your essential workplace if it’s not possible to work from home.
Speak to your employer about your concerns. They should take steps to protect everyone and where possible, allow you to work from home.
You might be able to take the time off as a holiday or unpaid leave, but this may not be approved by your employer.
If you refuse to attend work without a valid reason, it could result in disciplinary action.
If someone in your household is high-risk and you are still travelling to work, then you should follow the government guidance of living with someone who is classed as vulnerable or high-risk.
We understand you might feel they don’t want to go into work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government has provided a list of businesses that must close during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re workplace is still open, the advice is you can travel to your essential workplace if it’s not possible to work from home.
Speak to your employer about your concerns. They should take steps to protect everyone and when possible, allow you to work from home.
If someone in your household is high-risk and you are still travelling to work, then you should follow the government guidance of living with someone who is classed as vulnerable or high-risk.
When you’re no longer able to work but have not been made redundant, you can take a break from your apprenticeship and resume when you return to work. Please let your learning provider know.
Once you’re back at work, you can resume your apprenticeship and your learning provider can help too.
If you were put on unpaid leave on or after 28 February 2020, you're eligible to be ‘furloughed’ as part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This would mean that you are kept on your employer’s payroll, rather than being laid off. It’s up to your employer whether they choose to use the scheme or not.
To qualify, you should not undertake work for them while you are furloughed. This will allow your employer to claim a grant of up to 80% of your wage for all employment costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
You’ll remain employed while furloughed. Your employer could choose to fund the differences between this payment and your salary, but they don’t have to.
Get your furlough agreement in writing. It should state the date when furlough starts, when it will be reviewed and how you’ll keep in contact with your employer.
If your salary is reduced as a result of these changes, you might be eligible for support through the welfare system, including Universal Credit.
The ACAS website also has useful information on your right as an employee.
Your employer may need you to undertake a business-critical role at this time.
It should hopefully be a short-term requirement after which, you can then carry on with your apprenticeship role.
Any work you do in the business-critical role might also provide learning and evidence towards your apprenticeship.
You should discuss the change of role with your provider.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be unable to use your annual leave. The government introduced a temporary new law to deal with coronavirus disruption. You can now carry over up to 4 weeks’ paid holiday over a 2-year period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example:
If you’re self-isolating or are too sick to take holidays before the end of the leave year
You’ve been sent home if there’s no work and the workplace has closed (‘put on furlough’)
You’ve had to continue to work and could not take holiday leave
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be unable to use your annual leave. The government introduced a temporary new law to deal with coronavirus disruption. You can now carry over up to 4 weeks’ paid holiday over a 2-year period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example:
• If you’re self-isolating or are too sick to take holidays before the end of the leave year
• You’ve been sent home if there’s no work and the workplace has closed (‘put on furlough’)
You’ve had to continue to work and could not take holiday leave
An apprenticeship is a job with training. So even if you can’t go to college, university or your training centre, but can travel to work, then you’ll be paid in line with the details of your employment contract.
When you’re unable to work, we suggest speaking to your employer about their policies on pay. The government is providing a support to employers to help them retain and pay wages of employees including apprentices during the coming months. This is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
If your employer intends to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, they’ll discuss with you being classified as a furloughed worker. This would mean that you are kept on your employer’s payroll, rather than being laid off.
To qualify for this scheme, you should not undertake work for them while you are furloughed. This will allow your employer to claim a grant of up to 80% of your wage for all employment costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
You’ll remain employed while furloughed. Your employer could choose to fund the difference between this payment and your salary, but they don’t have to.
Get your furlough agreement in writing. It should state the date when furlough starts, when it will be reviewed and how you’ll keep in contact with your employer.
If your salary is reduced as a result of these changes, you might be eligible for support through the welfare system, including Universal Credit.
You’ll receive Statutory Sick Pay if you need to self-isolate because:
If you have symptoms, you must self-isolate for 7 days. If someone in your household has COVID-19 then you need to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days.
Make sure to tell your employer and learning provider as soon as possible if you can’t come to work. Apply for an isolation note on the NHS website to give to your employer. You should let them know the reason and how long you expect to be off for.
Some employers might offer more than Statutory Sick Pay and this detail will be in your contract.
The Scottish Government is offering clear guidance to employers on what staff are considered key workers.
To find out more about childcare and learning provision for key workers, see the Scottish Government website.
Many working parents are trying to juggle work and childcare, advice on how to manage this situation can be found at Flexibility Works.
Balancing work and childcare can be demanding and exhausting, so it’s important that you look after your well-being during this time. For information and resources to help, please see Well-being Support. If you are struggling, it’s best to speak to your employer as soon as possible to see if you can find a suitable compromise which works for you both.
Information on time off to look after dependants can be found on the ACAS website.
Advice for unpaid carers, including information on funding and support available to you, can be found on the Scottish Government website.
If you have been made redundant, please notify your training provider as soon as possible so that SDS can put support in place and implement the redundancy processes.
There are a number of support measures available:
PACE - The Scottish Government’s Partnership for Continuing Employment (PACE) is a well-established service to support individuals and employers dealing with redundancy. To find out more, please visit the PACE website redundancyscotland.co.uk or call 0800 917 8000.
Adopt an Apprentice - SDS also provides support through the Adopt an Apprentice scheme, which can help find new employment for apprentices with other employers that are able to support.
Career Information, Advice and Guidance - SDS CIAG colleagues continue to offer the SDS all-age career guidance service during the pandemic. Individuals can contact their local SDS team or visitmyworldofwork.co.uk.
Job Hub - SDS has launched a new My World of Work Job Hub which connects employers and individuals with immediately available vacancies during the pandemic.
Online Learning Portal - SDS has introduced an Online Learning Portal in response to COVID-19, connecting people with thousands of free-to-access online learning materials. Working closely with learning providers, additional resources will be added in the coming weeks and months.
Information on your rights at work, including discrimination, can be found on My World of Work.
Yes, you can still apply for any vacancies that are available on our apprenticeships.scot. Some employers are still recruiting and uploading jobs to apprenticeships.scot.
HR professionals and recruitment advisers will more than likely be working from home following the government’s COVID-19 guidance. So, your vacancy application may take longer than usual to process.
Due to the government’s advice on staying at home and social distancing, you will likely be required to interview for the apprenticeship over the phone or a video call. Please get in touch with the employer you're interested in working with. Keep in mind it might take them a while to reply under the current circumstances.
HR professionals and recruitment advisers will more than likely be working from home following the government’s COVID-19 guidance. So, your vacancy application may take longer than usual to process.
The employer has your details from your application, so they’ll still be able to contact you through phone, text or email.
If a considerable amount of time has passed since the closing date and you have not heard from the employer, there’s nothing wrong with sending a polite enquiry. But please allow a longer time for replies from the employer you contact.
If you’ve reached the interview stage, it’s very likely there will a change to normal procedure. As the government has advised us all to practice social distancing, then some employers may have plans in place for online interviews and recruitment. Please get in touch with the employer you’re scheduled to interview with for more information.
If the employer is still scheduling face-to-face interviews, you shouldn't be afraid to request a video interview to make sure you follow the government's stay at home advice. You should give the employer plenty of notice around this request and make sure you have the necessary equipment for the video call. Please keep in mind the employer does not have to grant your request.
Others may postpone recruitment or defer the interview to a later date. You should ask the employer if you will have to reapply or if your initial application will be valid.
If your interview is cancelled, then you could express your interest in the role, explain you understand the circumstances and state your availability to be contacted at a later date if things change.
Yes, you can start a new MA if you are on furlough. You and your employer can find more information on how to start a MA on apprenticeship.scot.
Furloughed employees can also apply for apprenticeship vacancies advertised by employers on Apprenticeships.scot
Visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) support page for more information on the support and advice we can offer at this time.