Skilled worker visa - new entrant

Hi everyone,

I would like to confirm my understanding of what it means to be a new entrant and being eligible for the skilled worker visa sponsorship.

I recently applied for a clinical trials administrator role with an employer who is a sponsor. I don't know the occupation code, however using the ONS occupation coding tool, the code may be 3539. In terms of the salary it would be around 22,000 (the annual going rate for 3539 is 24,200). The reason the employer had given as to why they cannot provide sponsorship is because the salary is not high enough to be eligible for sponsorship. My understanding is that as I am under 26, and a recent graduate, I am a new entrant and so, the minimum salary requirement is 20,480 per year. In addition, I used the eligibility checker tool online and it said the role was eligible for sponsorship, under these conditions.

Would someone please be able to confirm that my understanding is correct? Or if I'm missing something?

Your help would be much appreciated! Thank you!