Hundreds of training organisations across the country are
being given a boost as government begins awarding contracts
tomorrow (21 December) worth nearly £500m to provide
apprenticeship training for learners and small businesses.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is awarding
contracts to hundreds of organisations to provide
apprenticeship training to non-levy paying employers. Each
of these employers does not pay the apprenticeship levy
because they have an annual pay bill of less than
£3million.
This will ensure all businesses have a real choice of high
quality apprenticeship training provision, no matter where
they are in the country or what sector they operate in. It
will also mean that more people of all ages and backgrounds
will have the opportunity to get into skilled employment.
Employers looking to find an apprenticeship provider can do
so through find apprenticeship training, which will be
updated in early January.
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister said:
We are investing in our workforce to make sure there is
no barrier on anyone’s ambition and that employers have
the skilled workforce they need. The investment announced
today will ensure that all businesses are able to benefit
from high-quality apprenticeship training provision.
The awards follow a rigorous procurement process, designed
to ensure the sustainable, ongoing provision of
apprenticeship training for employers and learners over the
next 15 months. Over 1,000 providers submitted bids.
The initial awards for this procurement total £485m, with
successful providers able to bid for more funding over the
contract period if they can demonstrate evidence of demand,
and subject to the ESFA funding rules and affordability.
In cases where providers have been unsuccessful in the
procurement, we are extending contracts by three months so
businesses and apprentices have stability while completing
existing training.
Contracts for the non-levy funding will run between January
2018 and April 2019.
