Apprenticeship Services

Since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in spring 2018, the legal requirements have had to change to adapt. Control is now in the hands of employers with training providers competing with each other to provide schemes funded through the levy.

Our background of work in the FE sector makes us well placed to advise colleges and universities on the legal implications of the new regime. We’ve been at the forefront of devising new legal structures, working with the Association of Colleges and the University Vocational Awards Council. that has resulted in a suite of contractual documents that colleges and universities can use to govern their agreements with employers, subcontractors and assessment organisations.

We have already worked with several FE institutions to support the implementation of new contractual structures and to develop a more commercial approach to the provision of training.

We understand the added pressure on FE institutions to compete commercially with private sector training organisations, and we have provided staff training to clients to enable them to implement the new contractual requirements successfully.

When colleges and universities are contracting with large public and private sector organisations, they will likely be faced with the other party’s contract wording. Our experience is that these are frequently inappropriate for the purpose of an apprenticeships agreement, and we advise clients about the implications. Ensuring this is managed effectively is crucial as failure to do so could jeopardise payment for services provided by the university or college to the employer.