Incorporating apprenticeships into your organisation is an easy way to ensure that your team have the specific skill set required to perform successfully. With a mixture of both independent training and on the job responsibilities, they enable organisations to train their apprentices and gain a qualification at the end of the process.
Every business has different needs and requirements when it comes to the procurement process of apprenticeships. Therefore, when it comes to making sure a provider suits your business requirements you should take into consideration the following essential points.
What to consider:
Finding the correct provider for the standard of your choice
Apprenticeship standards are employer-led specifications that allow you, as the employer to determine what exactly is required of an apprentice. These standards outline the skills and knowledge that is necessary to carry out a certain job role.
You will find that not all providers will deliver all the standards available on the Institute for Apprenticeships.
You can find a number of providers and which standards they deliver within your area by visiting Finding Apprenticeship Training and searching for the apprenticeship role you wish to recruit.
OFTSED
The Ofsted rating of a provider is a major factor when choosing between training providers. Since April 2017, any training provider that wishes to provide apprenticeships must be on the 'register of apprenticeship training providers' and undergo an inspection within the first three years of it's initial business start-up.
The inspection mainly assesses the quality of training, safeguarding of the apprentices and leadership. Ofsted rates providers using just four grades;
1 = Outstanding;
2 = Good;
3 = Requires Improvement;
4 = Inadequate.
You will notice that not all apprenticeship providers have an Ofsted rating, this is because they haven’t had an their inspection yet. You can check the provider’s rating at Ofsted - Find an Inspection Report.
Learner experience/satisfaction
Another very important factor to consider when looking for a training provider is the learning experience and satisfaction of apprentices. Finding out what exactly the provider does to support the learners experience and to ensure satisfaction with the apprenticeship. Some potential questions to ask the training provider you are interested in can be:
- How do they support apprentices throughout their apprenticeship?
- What material and resources do they use?
- How would they advise you as an employer to support your apprentice?
- When do they record learner satisfaction and how is it monitored?
- Do they follow up on negative feedback and what processes are put in place to do so?
Provider experience
Another way to ensure that a training provider can meet the requirements of your business is to ask about their previous experiences in providing apprenticeship training. Consider whether they are already delivering the standards. If they are a start up company and don't have many experiences of delivering standard as of yet, you need to consider further before choosing them.
Enquiring about their achievement rate is also handy. How many apprentices have completed that standard with the provider? Regardless of whether their achievement rate is high or low, you should also find out what learning materials they already have and can provide as well as if they have an end point assessment in place.
Good Reputation
Finally, always look for a provider that has a good proven track record. Especially with; the understanding of your sector, working with organisations like your company, providing support with the apprenticeship you want.
A great way to do this is to look out for case studies and testimonials from other organisations. It is good to look at how others have found their experience with the training provider.
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