Apprenticeship service rollout delayed 

The ESFA had planned that all employers would be able to use the apprenticeship service to access apprenticeship funding from April 2019.

The ESFA’s aim is for all employers to take more ownership of their apprenticeships and access the full range of training provision on offer and believe that the best way to do this is through the apprenticeship service.

However, having listened to feedback about the scale and pace of the apprenticeship reforms that have been introduced since May 2017, the ESFA want to make sure that future changes are introduced in a gradual, well-managed way.

The ESFA has announced that it will extend current contracts for training providers delivering training for employers that do not pay the apprenticeship levy for 12 months, from April 2019 to March 2020.

The agency said that over the summer, it will work closely with employers and training providers to plan what a gradual transition should look like.

Further details have been promised in the autumn, including what this will mean for providers with existing contracts and plans to develop the apprenticeship service for all employers.