Calculating Off The Job hours

Introduction

The article provides guidance on calculating Off-The-Job (OTJ) hours for apprenticeships based on Bud's current logic.  It explains the updated ESFA guidelines effective from March 2024, detailing the rounding rules for OTJ hours. The article also covers the process for new and in-progress enrolments, ensuring compliance with the ESFA’s requirements and highlights the minimum OTJ training hours required for full-time apprentices. 

How to: Calculate Off The Job hours

ESFA Training plan template Updates - Valid from 6th March 2024

ESFA Funding Rules Updates July 2022

Bud’s key understanding of Off The Job hours

Bud’s approach to calculations

How to: Calculate Off The Job hours

Please note: ESFA updated guidance - Valid from 19th March 2024

In the ESFA Update on 6th March 2024 there was a further clarification on the rounding used by the ESFA in their new OTJH calculation template.

• A calculator has been created to help providers check compliance with the policy. To keep this as simple as possible, the start point (duration in weeks) and the end point (minimum number of off-the-job hours hours) are rounded to a full number. Statutory leave is not rounded.

Bud have made further adjustments to the calculation used (detailed below) which will take effect from the planned release on 19th March 2024. 

ESFA Training plan template Updates - Valid from 6th March 2024

Following the release of the ESFA’s Training Plan Template 23_24 Rules V1 in late 2023, we have made modifications to our existing min-OTJH calculation in enrolment to ensure that the output precisely matches the ESFA’s calculations used on Tab 4 of the document. The publication of this document has provided clarity regarding the precise calculation the ESFA uses, and the rounding applied to input and output values which was previously not publicised.

ESFA Funding Rules Updates July 2022

For full time apprenticeship learners with a start date on or after 01/08/2022 the new minimum requirement is 20% of a 30 hour week (even where the apprentice works more than 30 hours per week for an employer) equating to an average of 6 hours of off-the-job training per week. Those who work fewer than 30 hours per week will still have their minimum OTJH recorded as 20% of their working time.

Bud’s key understanding of Off The Job hours

Bud’s current understanding of the rules around off the job (OTJ) training is as follows:

• At least 20% of the Apprentices contracted hours must be spent OTJ training. The training cannot be solely delivered by distance learning.
• A detailed list of activities should be present, which clearly states the allocation of OTJ hours and the total must be at least 20%
• Overview of OTJ hours should be clearly displayed in the training plan (formerly commitment statement)
• Calculating OTJ hours should be consistent throughout the Apprentices programme
• Statutory holiday, of 28 days per year, should be excluded from the OTJ calculation
• For standards, OTJ hours only apply to the practical period of the apprenticeship, i.e. the EPA period is excluded from the calculation. 

Bud’s approach to calculations

The calculations are based on the number of hours the apprentice works and are rounded where appropriate. The calculations are as follows:

• End of Practical Period Date - Start Date (+1 day) = Duration in Days
• Duration in Days / 7 = Duration in Weeks (rounded to nearest whole number)
• Duration in Weeks - (Duration in Weeks / 1.1207) = Prorated holiday in Weeks (rounded to one decimal place)
• (Duration in Weeks - Prorated holiday in Weeks) * Hours worked per week * 0.2 = Minimum OTJ hours required (rounded to nearest whole hour)

*All values in the final calculation are rounded to the nearest whole number except for Prorated holiday in Weeks which is to one decimal place.

Programmes

When adding activities to a given programme, the following text is shown to indicate how many OTJ hours have been added to activities and the number required to meet the 20% target:

XX = sum of hours included across all activities for a given programmes

YY = calculated number of OTJ Hours required

MM = minimum duration for a programme 

Training Plan (formerly Commitment Statement)

The following text is present on the Training Plan:

Learning Portal

Each Activity displays the number of OTJ hours as set out in the initial programme design.

When an Activity is complete the planned OTJ hours will be marked off as complete. The progression measure, OTJ hours, will be appropriately incremented.

Should an Individual Learning Plan not have more than 20% OTJ hours the following message will be present: