Traineeship Employer Placements
The Traineeship programme has been designed to support people who have not yet achieved five GCSEs at grade C or above. It offers a structured programme of upskilling and placement activity, linking learners to employers to gain real industry experience. This Level 2 course prepares participants to progress to Apprenticeship programmes or Further Education programmes.
Work Based Learning, in conjunction with local employers, is a critical element of a Traineeship. Placement in a suitable work environment makes the learning ‘real’ and supports the development of work ready skills.
Belfast Met is currently seeking to partner with employers to provide work-based learning placements across the following 10 subject areas:
- Brickwork
- Carpentry and Joinery
- Engineering
- Motor Vehicle (Light)
- Plumbing and Heating
- Hairdressing
- Health and Social Care
- Childcare
- Hospitality
- Professional Cookery
Why become a placement provider?
By partnering with us and providing a placement, you’ll help develop confident, skilled, and work-ready individuals—while gaining access to emerging talent in your industry. Benefits to your business include:
- Develop Future Talent aligned with your business needs
- Enhance staff mentoring skills through trainee supervision
- Flexible placement models to suit your operations
- No cost to you – trainees are not paid during placement
- Option to transition trainees into Apprenticeships
What is required from an employer?
We ask that you provide the trainee with work based opportunities to develop their skills, helping them prepare for future employment and put their learning into practice. Employers offering a Traineeship must be able to:
- Offer a minimum of 20% of the programme as work-based learning (typically 1 day per week)
- Provide evidence of agreed employee and public liability insurance
- Provide the same health and safety protection as an employee would get
Frequently Asked Questions
No, as a placement provider, you are not expected to pay anything to the Trainee. Should you agree to employ a Trainee under the Apprenticeship NI scheme then as an apprentice they must be paid by the employer.
The model of placement will depend on which programme your Trainee is on but as a general rule Trainees will have one day placement per week. In some cases, this may be a more intensive block placement with the Trainee in the workplace more days per week but over a shorter duration.
If you would like your Trainee to spend more time in the workplace you have the option to employ them for any additional days including the summer months. You may wish to consider offering your Trainee an Apprenticeship, in which case, he or she will normally be in the workplace for 4 days per week.
There is easy transferability between Traineeship and Apprenticeship Level 2. The qualifications on both programmes are aligned, so your Trainee can transfer to ApprenticeshipNI at any stage during their Traineeship.
You should follow the same Health & Safety rules that your company has in place for all employees. This will include, providing them with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Next Steps
If you would like to discuss providing a Traineeship placement, contact us today at businessandskills@belfastmet.ac.uk