Leaving an apprenticeship - advice on where I stand?

[slavetolife]

Any advice gratefully received 😊 I am employed in an NHS trust, I've been doing a level 2 apprenticeship which I am almost at the end of, but was lucky enough to gain a place on a uni course to train to work in theatres. This would mean I won't be able to complete my apprenticeship. The course I'm going to be doing will lead me to a much higher position than the apprenticeship and I will still be working in the trust. During my course I will be on a career break (2 years).

The apprenticeship lead wants me to complete the apprenticeship, which I won't have the time to do once on new course. I also don't need the apprenticeship qualification to do the course, I have an unconditional offer. Can they force me to do it or charge me for the apprenticeship if I don't complete it??

[PuggyMum]

I work for a large organisation and apprenticeships fall under my wider teams' remit.

Assuming your company are using the apprenticeship levy for you I can see they would want you to finish your apprenticeship before you start a new one as they risk being able to reclaim the funds from the levy.

If you are near the end, are you close to your end point assessment? When does the Uni course start.

We've just had a few apprentices want to come off a degree and have been able to agree a level 4 diploma apprenticeship with the work done so far.

[PuggyMum]

Sorry ignore the bit about the new role also being an apprenticeship.
If you don't complete they will lose the funding - you won't be liable for anything though but if you can complete the epa the can claim the funding from the levy.

[slavetolife]

Thanks for your reply @PuggyMum . We finished the work required in the middle of November, my tutor had known about me going on the new course since the summer and I had asked repeatedly whether it would be wrapped up by now which she said she was confident it would be. The first part of the assessment (MCQ's) was meant to be yesterday but was cancelled. My course starts next week and there's no way I'll be able to do the EPA alongside, I'm busy 5 days a week for 8 weeks.

I do feel bad but on the other hand they have known for a long time about my intention to do the course and I feel let down that they haven't been able to organise EPA sooner.

[PuggyMum]

Gosh that's terrible. They can't expect you to wait around forever.

They can wrap up the EPA quite easily if your portfolio is all there- it would be crazy of them not to??