Equip your team with the tools to succeed
Your staff deserve the best possible opportunities to develop their accountancy careers. The AAT Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship is the perfect place to start. White Horse Training delivers high-quality instruction that will equip your team members with all the tools they need to excel. We also provide comprehensive support throughout the process, so it doesn’t take up too much of your time outside of the day-to-day operation.
What is the AAT Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship?
The AAT Level 3 - Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship covers a wide range of accountancy techniques and disciplines and is designed to enable an apprentice to be an effective worker in any accountancy practice or internal finance department. It is aimed at people who have an interest in a career in accountancy, no prior experience is needed. Level 3 is natural progression for learners if they have completed A-level accounting, AAT Level 2 or have relevant work experience. Students are schooled in more advanced techniques in areas such as bookkeeping, spreadsheets and the preparation of final accounts. The course takes between 12-15 months to complete, depending on employer/apprentice preference. AAT Level 3 is the industry standard qualification for any apprentice looking to progress in the world of accountancy.
What topics does the AAT Level 3 course cover?
AAT Level 3 is generally split into four main areas of study:
It is crucial that apprentices understand the nature of the environment they are working in and the role of the accountancy function within it. For example, a sole trader’s accountancy department will look very different to a department store’s team of accountants. This unit gives them that base knowledge. It talks them through the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders within a business and introduces them to professional ethics within the finance function.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand different business types and how they function
- Know the risks involved in accountancy data security
- Be able to read the external environment and how it influences business decisions
- Understand how to comply with professional ethics standards
This important unit takes students through the process of producing profit and loss figures for a sole trader or smaller business. They will learn the double-entry bookkeeping skills they will need to keep an organisation’s books up to date.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Be able to prepare final accounts
- Understand the principles of advanced double-entry bookkeeping
- Know how to produce financial statements for sole traders and partnerships
- Be equipped with the techniques needed to interpret financial statements using profitability ratios
The role of management accounting in an organisation is a crucial concept to get to grips with, and this unit gives candidates all the knowledge and skills they require to do that. For example – different businesses handle costs in different ways, but what are the methodologies behind that? What decisions go into developing a firm’s accounting practices? This unit walks students through these questions.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand the purpose of management accounting within organisations
- Have learned how to decode cash management practices
- Be able to attribute costs based on an organisation’s needs
- Know how to reflect management accounting information in spreadsheet form
The thorny issue of tax returns is covered in this unit. Candidates are shown how to prepare and submit VAT returns to HMRC. The development of a wider understanding of how tax processes affect a firm’s day-to-day running is also covered. Compliancy is the name of the game in this field and students finish the course with the skills needed to ensure they can keep on the right side of the tax man.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Be able to calculate VAT
- Know how payroll works
- Have an understanding of tax compliancy and how it affects an organisation.
How White Horse Training supports accountancy practices, businesses and their apprentices
AAT Level 3 is a crucial rung on the ladder for accountancy trainees. It can be the qualification they need to make that next step in their career and it gives businesses the calibre of employee they want to see coming through the ranks. At White Horse Training, we can take the training strain, ensuring your team develops the skills they need to excel in their role. We support all businesses, both industry and practice, from sole practitioners to large accountancy practices, in a cost-effective, tailored way.
Access Government Funds to cover 95% of training costs
The government funds 95% of the costs of an apprenticeship for non-levy employers. Our team at White Horse Training will walk you through the administration of this so you can access these funds with ease.
Your apprenticeship questions answered
Information for Employers
An apprenticeship can help you to expand or upskill your workforce and with Government financial support, for many businesses, recruiting and training an apprentice is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff on a higher salary. Apprentices are motivated to learn new skills and can be a great way to boost business productivity. By working closely with employers, we ensure their training is tailored to your personal business aims and needs.
The ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website is available for employers to advertise their apprenticeship vacancies and we can help you to access and manage this free service.
Individuals often send us their CVs if they are looking for an accounting role so that we can share them with employers who are looking to recruit. For further information please get in contact with us.
If your business has an annual payroll of over £3 million, then you will be an apprentice levy-payer.
The levy is 0.5% of your payroll which is collected by HMRC at the point you pay PAYE. This levy is reserved for apprenticeship training and businesses have two years to spend it.
As a levy-payer, you will be able to use the online Apprenticeship Service to create an account which will help you to choose and pay for your apprenticeship training. More information about the Levy can be found at www.gov.uk. White Horse Training deliver apprenticeships to levy-paying employers so call our team for further information about selecting White Horse as your Training Provider.
If you are a business with an annual payroll of under £3 million then you will not be paying into a 'levy-pot' and therefore are a non-levy payer. As a non-levy employer, you will share the costs of training an apprentice with the government - this is called ‘co-investment’, depending on circumstances the costs could even be fully funded. White Horse Training support non-levy paying employers with accessing this government funding so call our team for further information.
Working in partnership with the South West Association of Training Providers, White Horse is on the Register of Approved Training Providers for the delivery of Apprenticeships. We deliver timetabled teaching intended to complement work-based training. Our programmes are delivered at our offices in Bath and are based on five days a month block release.
White Horse Training was established more than 40 years ago - by accountants, for accountants and has been delivering apprenticeships since 1995. At White Horse Training we take care of every aspect of accountancy apprenticeships, delivering for levy-paying and non-levy paying employers in both industry and practice. We provide high quality accredited vocational training relevant to the personal employment aims of the Learner as well as the needs of the employer. We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching, and on the help, support, information and advice we give to students. This is reflected in our outstanding success rates in both AAT and Apprenticeships.
Information for Learners
Apprenticeships are formal, nationally recognised training programmes.
As an apprentice you will have the opportunity to achieve a qualification while developing your accountancy knowledge, skills and experience in the workplace.
As an apprentice you will be employed – earning a wage, whilst benefiting from an invaluable mix of theoretical learning and practical training. An apprenticeship provides an excellent foundation for your career and may be a perfect starting place for progression to further professional qualifications and the route to becoming a Chartered Accountant. Find out more about apprenticeships at GOV.UK.
The Level 3 apprenticeship programme is the Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship, which runs alongside the AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting and together both provide you with the business knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to succeeding in a junior role in accountancy. We work to support both the apprentice and the employer to meet all the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.
The apprenticeship is delivered on a block release study programme of five days a month here at our Bath office.
An assistant accountant provides support to internal and external customers working predominately either as an assistant accountant within practice or within the finance function of an organisation.
The Level 4 apprenticeship programme is the Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship, which runs alongside the AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting and together both provide you with the business knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to succeeding in senior accounting roles. We work to support both the apprentice and the employer to meet all the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.
Those starting under this apprenticeship would normally have acquired the knowledge as gained through the AAT Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is taught on a block release study programme of five days a month here at our Bath office.
Individuals in this role will have responsibility for creating, verifying and reviewing, accurate and timely financial information. This role may exist in an accounting practice, a professional services company, HMRC or the accounting function of a business/organisation.
If you’re looking for an accountancy apprenticeship you can use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website to view and apply to available vacancies. As most of our accounting firms and some of our industry colleagues have a long-standing association with us, we may be aware of current or future employment opportunities. We therefore welcome CVs to share with those employers who are actively recruiting.
White Horse Training was established more than 40 years ago - by accountants, for accountants and has been delivering apprenticeships since 1995. We aim to provide high quality, accredited vocational training which is relevant to your personal employment aims as well as your employer’s needs.
Because we are accountancy specialists, and we work very closely with firms of accountants we know exactly which skills you need to succeed in the workplace. We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching, and on the help, support, information and advice we give to learners. This is reflected in our outstanding success rates in both AAT and Apprenticeships.
White Horse Training is a specialist AAT training provider delivering AAT at both Level 3 and Level 4. We teach face-to-face on a block release basis here at our Bath office.
We offer both the AAT L3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting and the AAT L4 Professional Diploma in Accounting outside of an apprenticeship and prices for this are available on request. We can also offer a payment plan and would be happy to discuss this.
If you are in relevant employment, you may be eligible to do the qualification as an apprentice, in which case training costs are considerably reduced, or even free, and would be paid by your employer.
For further information about AAT costs and the options available to you, please get in contact with us.
Apprenticeships: The Complete Guide For Employers
All you need to know about hiring an apprentice broken down in 5 easy sections.
You want to expand or upskill your workforce or you've considered how you could give a young learner the opportunity to start a career but you have questions ringing loudly in your head. How do I hire an apprentice and what does it entail?
This guide will explain all you need to know in regard to apprenticeships and the value an apprentice can bring to your business