Skills for Security (SfS) has been accepted onto the Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). That means that the Worcester-based organisation has qualified for Government funding to deliver apprenticeships from May 2017.
Passing all elements of the application, including due diligence checks on compliance, quality and financial health, SfS has satisfied the SFA that the organisation is capable of delivering apprenticeship training.
Under the Government’s new apprenticeship policy, training providers must be on the RoATP to be eligible to deliver training – directly or as a subcontractor – to larger, levy-paying employers. Out of 2,327 applications, a total of 1,708 providers (73 per cent) made the grade, with the full list of providers published recently.
Peter Sherry, Interim Director General of Skills for Security, pictured, says: “I am absolutely delighted that Skills for Security has been accepted onto the RoATP, giving employers in the security sector the confidence that we – as the sector skills body for the industry – can provide them with trusted support and expertise in equipping the workforce of tomorrow with a solid educational foundation through a carefully considered system of training, assessment and qualifications.”
The Government’s apprenticeship reforms aim to support an increase in the quality and quantity of apprenticeships, enabling a greater number of individuals to pursue a successful career. As featured in the January print issue of Professional Security, SfS and BSIA ran seminars around the country detailing how the apprenticeship changes will affect security and general employers.
Commenting on the RoATP, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Robert Halfon, said: “Giving employers control over their apprenticeships needs and funding is an essential feature of our plan to create an apprenticeships and skills nation. Our new register of apprenticeship providers will mean that only organisations that have passed our quality assurance can deliver apprenticeships.”
For more about Skills for Security, visit www.skillsforsecurity.org.uk.
