Scotland Apprenticeship grants

The grant for Apprenticeships covers:

• Off-the-job attendance with an approved Apprenticeship provider
• Achievement of an Apprenticeship

You must use an approved Apprenticeship provider that has a direct contract with SDS and current approval with an appropriate awarding body, such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window) 

Attendance grant is payable up to the apprentice’s last date in learning for between 1 and 6 years. Apprenticeships at SCQF Levels 5 and 6 may take more than 3 years, but no further attendance grants are payable after the third year.

You can apply for grants for directly employed individuals only.

See which courses are eligible for grant[OG1] 

If you do not see an Apprenticeship in the current list of those eligible for grant, you can complete an online form to suggest it for consideration.

Scottish Modern and Higher Apprenticeships are governed by the Guidance and Proposal Template and Scottish Graduate Apprenticeships (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)

You can apply if you’re levy-registered with CITB and up to date with your levy returns. You also need to meet our general Grants Scheme terms and conditions.

CITB Apprenticeships

If we are your Apprenticeship provider, your dedicated Apprenticeship Officer will help you complete your application paperwork correctly. As long as we receive the correct paperwork within 20 weeks of the start of the Apprenticeship, we will begin making your grant payments, backdated to this start date.

Your attendance grant will be paid automatically every 13 weeks.

Other Apprenticeship providers

If we are not your Apprenticeship provider, you’ll need to complete an application form.

Download and save the  Apprenticeship grant application form (Excel 191KB) and ensure you complete all sections. This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Please note: Use Chrome or Firefox to download the form. We recommend that you do not use Internet Explorer as you may have problems downloading this.

You must provide evidence from your college or training provider that your apprentice is registered onto an approved Apprenticeship programme.

This evidence must be a government DAS report, or from the college or training provider on either their headed paper or by their email address and it must contain the following information.

     • The full name of the apprentice

     • The full Apprenticeship course title and level, including the sub-category (if applicable)

     • The apprentice’s start date with the college or training provider.

Send your completed application form and supporting evidence to customer.servicesYNET@citb.co.uk.

As long as we receive the correct paperwork within 20 weeks of the start of the Apprenticeship, we will begin making your grant payments, backdated to this start date.

We will send you an application form or email notification every 13 weeks to confirm that your apprentice is still in training and employment. You must make the confirmation within 3 months of the issue date to continue to receive payments.

If your apprentice leaves your employment you must notify us and we will pay attendance grant up to the date your apprentice left.

Late submissions

If you don't submit your application within 20 weeks of the start date of the Apprenticeship, we will only make attendance grant payments backdated to the date on which we receive your paperwork.

Achievement grants

You may receive an application form or email notification to authorise achievement grant when your apprentice successfully completes an Apprenticeship.

You should authorise the grant within 3 months of its issue to receive the achievement grant.

If you don’t receive an application form or email notification within 1 month of the achievement date, complete the correct form below.

• For achievements awarded from 1 April 2019 onwards download the Apprenticeship achievement grant application form (excel 642KB). This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
• Save and complete the Apprenticeship achievement section of the form
• You should submit your application form to grant.claimforms@citb.co.uk with a copy of the achievement certificate or an achievement notification email from the awarding body before the deadline of 30 November 2020

• For achievements awarded between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 download the Apprenticeship achievement grant application form (excel 639KB). This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
• Save and complete the Apprenticeship achievement section of the form
• You should submit your application form to grant.claimforms@citb.co.uk with a copy of the achievement certificate or an achievement notification email from the awarding body before the deadline of 30 June 2021.

Rates are fixed for the duration of the Apprenticeship as given in the Grants Scheme year the Apprenticeship starts, even if they change in later Grants Scheme years, or if the apprentice changes employer.

Attendance grant is payable up to the apprentice’s last date in learning. Apprenticeship frameworks at SCQF Levels 5 and 6 may take more than 3 years, but no further attendance grants are payable after the third year.

The attendance grant rate for starts from 1 April 2020 is £2,500 per year.

The achievement grant is £3,500 on successful completion of the Apprenticeship.

An additional achievement grant of £3,500 is payable on achievement of the Professional Development Award (PDA) or at the end of the second year of attendance

If an apprentice changes employer during their Apprenticeship, attendance and achievement grants will be paid pro-rata according to the proportion of the total training package completed with each employer.

We will continue to make payments at the appropriate rate for the remainder of the programme for apprentices who started their training and registered for grant support before the start of the 2019/2020 Grants Scheme year (1 April 2019).

Employers who qualified for supplementary grant prior to April 2018 will receive this on attendance payments only, for apprentices who started before 1 April 2018.

Payment of grants

You will be eligible for attendance grants once your apprentice has completed 13 weeks of continuous contracted employment.

Other grants

• While you receive an Apprenticeship grant you can’t apply for any other grants for the same apprentice, except for short course achievements which are necessary, appropriate and not included within the Apprenticeship.
• You must meet the cost of other additional training.

Apprenticeships in England and Wales

Apprenticeships in England[OG1] 

Apprenticeships in Wales[OG2]