3AAA is delighted to announce that it has just secured its first SFA contract for Apprenticeship provision. This is recognition of the hard work the business has put into development of its Apprenticeship activities over the past two years. The contract will provide additional flexibiities to the business but will not be at the cost of our strategic relations with our College partners.
September has been a very busy month for the business, and an excellent start to our new financial year plans.
We are delighted the SFA has shown faith in our business, not only in securing our own contract but also in the announcement yesterday regarding our Joint Venture with Liverpool Community College.
Di McEvoy – Robinson – joint owner commented ‘ we have worked hard for this recognition. There are few providers who are successful each year in securing their own contract and we have gone through a rigorous competitive tender process. Most importantly it is an endorsement of the quality of our delivery and services to Apprentices. We are delighted with the momentum the business is gaining, based on four years of hard work and solid foundations’

We are delighted to announce that on the 21st September, 3AAA working with Liverpool Community College purchased out of administration the large majority of the trade of First 4 Skills, a large national training provider, preserving over 500 jobs and over 8000 apprentices across England and Scotland.

Both organisations have now entered into a Joint Venture agreement to take this new business forward. 3AAA will play a leading role in the development of the business, working with the existing management team to drive further growth. It will also make Liverpool Comunity College the largest Apprenticeship provider of any College in England.

This is the first joint venture of this nature ever entered into – bringing together the best of the entreprenueurial spirit of the private sector with the strong local, regional and national influence of the FE sector.

Peter Marples and Di McEvoy Robinson commented ‘ we first became aware of this opportunity 7 days ago and we have been working flat out to achieve a successful outcome for the business, working with our colleagues at the College. There was only one other option for the business, and that was to go into administration with the loss of over 500 jobs. Liverpool College have been courageous in responding so quickly, and both their Governors and Senior Management have fully committed to this opportunity. Looking forward, our joint venture, which will see 3AAA taking a leading role in the strategic direction of the business is unique in the sector. This further underlines our philosophy that there is real power in harnessing the best of the public sector and private sector. The hard work now starts, with strong plans for growth across the business. We are really excited to be working with Liverpool Community College as part of their commitment to become a leading provider in Apprenticeship delivery across the country’

We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Aquil Rose to the above exciting new role for the company. Aquil will be with us for the next 12 months –  to develop our Facebook, Twitter and Social Media presence across all academies. I am sure that you will welcome Aquil as he works with colleagues. His base will be at Milton Keynes but he will be working across all academies during his year with 3AAA. He then plans to return to university with real paid work experience under his belt and a much improved CV.

A group from St Albans have just completed level 3 AAT with an overall 90% achievement. They are now starting Level 4 under the apprenticeship model in which they will take a year to complete it.
This 90% achievement is significantly higher than the national average of 62.5% (source AAT February 2011)

A learner from Milton Keynes has been offered a fantastic opportunity on completion of Level 4 AAT.
Lucy Wright who is part way through level 4 will be working for Global Accountancy specialists Grant Thornton on their Graduate Programme.
Michelle Bagnall, lead trainer at Milton Keynes said: …This fantastic career opportunity is a true reflection of Lucy’s dedication and determination to complete her AAT studies. Having passed every assessment at Level 2, 3 & 4 first time, Lucy is well placed to have a successful career and become a fully qualified chartered accountant.

A group at Milton Keynes are just celebrating an exam success rate of 90% in their first level 4 exam sitting – A fantastic achievement, well done to all.

Our first intake of learners on the new model has just completed their AAT Level 2 in a record eight weeks! The group of 26 at our Birmingham Academy are now moving on to the next stage of AAT level 3 on the Apprenticeship programme.

During the eight weeks, they have also completed a level 2 award in employability skills which has helped towards securing an apprenticeship in Accountancy.

Lead Trainer at Birmingham, Margaret Saunders said: …..’This has been an intensive eight weeks for the learners, but they have worked remarkably well to achieve so much in a short space of time. Being in the classroom four days a week has really helped in consolidating their learning, and they are now keen to put their new found skills into practice in the work-place’

Numbers are filling up very quickly for our next intake in October. Call our recruitment team now to secure a place to avoid disappointment.

There are just a couple of weeks left to enrol for our brand new ‘Fast-track’ model starting 17th September. This course is aimed AT 16-18 year olds who have the drive and determination to bypass their school colleagues and avoid two years of A levels along with a year’s debt of university expenses.
During the 10 month programme you will study basic accounting fundamentals to level 2 standard, Level 3 AAT and level 4 AAT. This 4 day a week study for ten months is not for the faint –hearted but for those learners with a desire to succeed in a Finance or Business Related career, it will provide a fantastic opportunity. On completion of Level 4 AAT, exemptions are available towards the first year of a finance degree or professional accounting qualifications (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW)

NITP is to be the first training provider nationwide to deliver the National Skills Academy for IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship, offering a higher quality experience to both employers and young people.
The IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship has been created by the National Skills Academy for IT, e-skills UK and employers across the IT sector. It is based on employer-defined quality standards, which ensure that apprentices get the skills they need to carry out specific, in-demand job roles and start a successful career.
NITP is offering the first IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship at Level 3 from October 2012, with BT, one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship employers, quality assuring the training NITP delivers.
Peter Marples, Director, NITP says: “We can now enable smaller firms to offer apprenticeships of the same quality as world-class businesses like BT, helping to attract the brightest young people and give them the training they need to thrive in the fast growing IT industry.”
In addition to the rigorous new quality standards used, the IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship offers employers and apprentices an exclusive support programme, including access to an online virtual campus, enabling them to network and share experiences with others; invitations to events, competitions and visits to BT; and discounted subscriptions to the National Skills Academy for IT’s online learning.
The IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship will initially be available at NITP’s Liverpool, Nottingham and Oxford Centres, before rolling out nationwide. Employers can find out more here and apprentices can apply here.

We are delighted to announce that NITP has been accredited as an Approved  Partner of the National Skills Academy for IT.
NITP is one of 12 training providers nationwide to have been awarded this honour. The business underwent a rigorous ratification process by the IT Skills Academy’s Training Quality Panel, which consists of leading organisations from both inside and outside the IT industry.
Peter Marples commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have been given this honour. It is recognition of all the hard work of our teams at our centres across the country. We will work hard to continue to further develop our delivery mechanisms to support the needs of all businesses.”
For more information about the IT Skills Academy, visit www.itskillsacademy.ac.uk.