For centres delivering apprenticeships and those who plan to do so, there’s news from the Education & Skills Fund Agency (ESFA) on changes to the registration process and access to funding.

In order to support an increase in the quality of training for apprentices, the ESFA has undertaken a review of the current operation of its Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) and strengthened the application process for those wishing to join.

This is to provide assurance that training providers have the capacity and capability to deliver good quality apprenticeship training, and are ready to start delivery.

All organisations wanting to access ESFA funding to deliver apprenticeship training will now need to be on the register, including subcontractors delivering less than £100k a year. The Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) will re-open for new applications on 12 December.

Existing providers, including employer-providers, already on the register, will receive notification from the ESFA over the next twelve months to undertake a process of re-approval. This is to ensure that in a year’s time all providers on the register will have gone through the same approval process. Providers deemed higher risk will also receive an inspection from OFSTED as part of the re-approval process if they haven’t received one already.

Further information can be found here. Guidance on what needs to be included in an application will be available from 12 December 2018, when the register opens for applications.