3aaa Apprenticeship
Thursday 13th April 2017
Yesterday, the ESFA (formerly SFA) announced that the procurement process for award of contracts to fund non-Levy payers’ Apprenticeship demands would be paused until at least December 2017 and possibly beyond for a more measured review and debate.
3aaa Apprenticeships welcome this decision, which, despite having caused significant disruption to our business over the past five months (particularly regarding the arbitrary £5 million limit on contract values), means there is now stability in the system for both providers but most importantly non-Levy paying employers and potential Apprentices. It means we can now fully support the significant demand we face from employers and Apprentices during June – November, the peak time for our business.
Peter Marples, Joint Owner of 3aaa Apprenticeships commented;
“We have been lobbying for a delay to the procurement for sometime. It is pleasing the ESFA have listened and whilst it will not be a popular move for some and is brave, it is the correct decision. It provides stability for the market at a time of the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy. We can now fully focus on supporting the many thousands of young people who we will be supporting into careers during the next six months, alongside their new employers. We hope to play a full part in the debate about future procurement strategies which must recognise the capacity of the market which is already fragile and the historic quality of established providers must be recognised. Whilst we welcome new providers into the market (indeed we were a new provider ourselves in 2012), those new providers must expect to build a track record of quality and consistency before being awarded public money to fund Apprenticeships”
If you would like further information on how the Apprenticeship Reforms may affect your business, please contact your local Apprenticeship expert now.