At long last the SFA have published their apprenticeship training providers policy, with a fantastic news for subcontractors!
The document titled Supporting quality and employer choice through a new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers outlines the policy for apprenticeship training providers (in England) from May 2017.
The Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers opens for applications, today, 25 October 2016!
The first group of approved training providers will be selected from those who complete the application process by 5.00pm on 25th November 2016.
The RoATP will open for applications four times a year. The SFA plan to reopen the register as soon as the results from the first round are available.
I will attempt to cover the most critical elements of the policy in the sections below and as always the information will be available in Cleverblogs.
Eligibility to Apply to the RoATP
Only training providers who directly provide training are eligible to apply to the RoATP, so that means;
• managing agents
• intermediary bodies
• consortium leads
• brokerage organisations
• any other similar entity that does not itself deliver education and training to apprentices
are not eligible to apply.
"Providers would be ineligible to apply to the register if they have a grade 4 “inadequate” rating for their apprenticeship provision. Organisations with a grade 4 overall but a higher grade for apprenticeship provision would still be eligible to apply."
P5-Supporting quality and employer choice through a new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers
Future Role of Subcontractors
The plans to change the role of subcontractors seems to have been put on the back burner for now, which is great news!
Subcontracted practices will be monitored and any changes will happen over time.
There is a significant change from the proposal document in that subcontractors can continue to provide the whole of apprenticeship training programme and not just a small proportion.
"..we will require that all approved “main” providers will need to directly provide training for each employer’s apprenticeship programme that they deliver, but we will not require the main provider to deliver a significant majority of each framework or standard they contract with an employer to deliver. At the employer’s request, and subject to their agreement, main providers will be able to bring in sub- contractors to deliver whole, or parts of, frameworks or standards."
P4-Supporting quality and employer choice through a new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers
Subcontractors don't have to apply to the RoATP if they deliver less than £100k of apprenticeship training. However, they can apply to the RoATP if they want to increase their training provision or to prove to employers that they meet the RoATP criteria.
Application Routes and Tests
Thanks to the consultation process the supporting route has been developed with the subcontractor in mind.
• Main route - eligible for selection by levied employers to deliver apprenticeship training, or selection by another main provider to work as a subcontractor.
• Supporting route - entry route to the apprenticeship market for organisations that offer a specialism, and providers who only want to deliver as a subcontractor.
• Employer-provider route - employers who want to provide training to their own staff. They will have the flexibility to lead their own programme, or act as a subcontractor to their appointed main provider.
There will be a series of tests to pass, differentiated by application route, in areas of;
• financial health
• due diligence
• quality, capacity and capability
"Providers on the supporting route will be able to deliver up to £500,000 of apprenticeship training per year, before being required to apply to the main route. Those providers who want to deliver less than £100k of apprenticeship training per year as a subcontractor will have the option to apply."
P5-Supporting quality and employer choice through a new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers
It would seem that only Main Route applicants will be available to search for in the DAS, which will control subcontracting in the levy.
Application process
The register opens for applications, today 25 October 2016!
Take the following steps to complete the application process to enter the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP):
1. Read the application instruction document to see if RoATP is right for you to apply to and determine the appropriate application route.
2. Review the RoATP financial health self-assessment toolkit to establish if you are financially sound.
3. Review the RoATP e-tendering support guidance to help with access to the questions on the e-tendering portal.
4. Submit an application through the e-tendering portal before the application deadline.
Here are links to the RoATP application and information pages:
Register of apprenticeship training providers
Register of apprenticeship training providers: application instructions
Register of apprenticeship training providers: e-tendering portal guidance
The first group of approved training providers will be selected from those who complete the application process by 5.00pm on 25th November 2016.
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