Learning and development

New and updated

• Type:

  How to

  How to employ an apprentice

  New funding rules for apprenticeships came into effect on 1 August 2026. The changes include a reduction in the time levy-paying employers have to spend their funds, from 24 to 12 months; and changes to co-investment rates, including full Government funding for apprentices who are under 25.

• Date:

  2 April 2026

  Type:

  Commentary and insights

  Over-mentored but under-sponsored: A hidden barrier to women's progression

  Mentorship and sponsorship are often treated as interchangeable, but they play very different roles in career progression - particularly for women. Vernujaa Nagandiram explains why a system of formal, evenly distributed sponsorship is key to achieving more equitable professional outcomes.

• Type:

  FAQs

  Are employers required to pay apprentices the national minimum wage?

  The national minimum wage rates increased on 1 April 2026. Employers should be aware that the apprentice rate applies only during the first year of the apprenticeship, or if the apprentice is under 19.

• Date:

  26 February 2026

  Type:

  Commentary and insights

  No bad intent required: How unconscious gender bias shapes leadership progression

  All along the leadership pipeline, unconscious gender bias can quietly narrow women's progression - even when decisions look neutral and intentions are fair. Here are three mechanisms that explain how seemingly neutral decisions can compound into unequal leadership outcomes - and where employers can intervene to reduce bias at the source.

• Type:

  Editor's choice

  Tracking our Northern Ireland and Scotland updates is now easier

  We have launched two new topics covering Northern Irish employment law and Scottish employment law, to help our users with locations there to keep track of any differences in legislation.

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Scotland: training

  This guide sets out the differences between the law on training in Scotland compared with the rest of Great Britain (England and Wales).

• Type:

  Contract clauses

  Apprenticeship agreement

  Updated to reflect a legislative change that reduces the minimum duration of an apprenticeship from 12 to eight months, for apprenticeships starting on or after 1 August 2025. 

• Type:

  Legal timetable

  Reduction in minimum length of apprenticeships in England from 12 to eight months

  The Apprenticeships (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/599) reduce the minimum duration of the practical period of apprenticeships in England from 12 to eight months.

• Type:

  Letters and forms

  Job shadowing plan

  A model form to record an outline of the objectives and agree a schedule for specific activities to be shadowed over a period of time.

• Type:

  Leading practice guides

  Coaching: What is it and why use it?

  Enhanced by creating five separate guides on coaching, to help you find the guidance you need. This initial guide covers what coaching is and the benefits it can bring to an organisation.