Government advice issued on apprenticeships

Apprentice Celebration Event at Rochdale Town Hall

As part of the cross-government efforts to respond to the impact of coronavirus, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is implementing new measures, for the duration of the pandemic, to make it easier for apprenticeships to continue and complete in a different way, if they need to or to break and resume an apprenticeship later when that becomes possible.

The support includes:

• encouraging training providers to deliver training to apprentices remotely, and via e-learning, as far as practicable
• allowing the modification of end-point assessment arrangements, including remote assessments where possible
• clarifying that apprentices ready for assessment, but who can’t be due to the current situation, can have their end-point assessment rescheduled
• apprentices whose gateway is delayed can have an extension to the assessment time frame
• allow employers and training providers to report and initiate a break in learning where the interruption to learning due to COVID-19 is greater than 4 weeks
• clarification on how to record breaks in learning so that finding is not unnecessarily disrupted
• where apprentices are made redundant, the government aims to find them alternative employment and continue the apprenticeship as quickly as possible and within 12 weeks

Rochdale Training has confirmed that its tutors will be contactable for support, advice and guidance.

Chief Executive, Jilly Nagy said: "We are following government advice and have implemented rigourous systems to stem the potential spread of infection, reviewing this daily.

"However, the Apprenticeship and Skills Minister has confirmed that in line with schools and colleges, Independent Training Providers should close their doors for classroom learning. 

"However, if permitted by the employer, we are still allowed to visit apprentices/learners in the workplace and continue with the remote training and development of our learners. 

"Although most of our tutors will be homeworking, progressing learners remotely through their qualification, they are still contactable for support, advice and guidance.

"Our offices will remain open and we are very much able to continue to deal with your training needs in terms of upskilling/developing staff and the recruitment of apprenticeships through virtual meetings/telephones etc."

For more information, please visit:

• www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-apprentices-employers-training-providers-end-point-assessment-organisations-and-external-quality-assurance-pro