The 2021 RoATP Refresh

As you will no doubt have spotted in the media, The Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have once again announced a refresh of their Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP).

Beginning this month (May 2021), those registered will be invited to reapply and prove they meet a renewed list of stringent criteria.

Unfortunately, there’s no way around this. If you want to run apprenticeships training you need to be on the list. So it’s important you look out for your invitation to reapply and work quickly to make sure you complete everything by your deadline. Failure to do so could mean you’ll be unable to continue your training provision.

That’s why at Bud we’re doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’re offering support and guidance through our on demand webinar, podcast and blogs, to help you understand and complete the process as well as possible.

Why are the Government doing this?

The RoATP refresh is part of the government’s continued drive to improve the quality of apprenticeship training. The ESFA wants to ensure those on the list are able to better meet the skills needs of apprentices and employers.

To do this, rigorous new criteria are being introduced that will be more closely aligned with OFSTED inspections. Any training providers that are unable to demonstrate delivery within the last 6 months could potentially be removed from the list.

This way, those looking for apprenticeship provision can be confident that providers they approach through the RoATP will offer a consistent, high-quality service.

What’s the process for re-registration?

The ESFA will be inviting those who are already on the list to re-register over the course of the next 12 months. As a training provider, you can expect to receive your notification 6 weeks prior to the 1^st of the month in which you will have a 30-day window to complete and submit your response.

You will be unable to apply without having received your invite, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start preparing. Start your research into the changes that are being made. Where and how does your organisation hold the data you’ll need to provide as evidence? Will it be easy to access when the time comes? And can you be confident of its accuracy?

We are offering support via our RoATP refresh page.

On the page you’ll find a valuable podcast interview with Bud’s Compliance Manager Matt Wood and Account Delivery consultants Katy Hopwood and Craig Robinson, along with a link to a pre-recorded webinar that can be accessed 24/7 for the next 12 months. This will help you understand the process you need to complete, and offer valuable tips and advice about the things you’ll need to consider. Look out for alerts from Bud to watch the webinar the moment you’re asked to reapply.

So what can you be doing now?

It’s never too early to get your ducks in a row. First things first, make sure to check and update your contact information if necessary – if you don’t open that invite the second it comes through, you will have already lost time.

In order to check that training is being delivered to a high standard there will be plenty of questions that require evidence to be uploaded. This can be time-consuming, so it’s worth planning ahead. Financial health, too, is something the ESFA is focusing on – so be prepared to answer plenty of questions about that as well.

And it won’t just be about providing the required information, the ESFA will want to see that you have the right systems, processes and policies in place too. Start to think about who in your organisation is well positioned to answer the different types of questions you’re expecting to receive – make sure they’re ready to go when your application is requested.

First port of call should be the government’s website to find out what’s likely to be required, as well as the funding rules and Ofsted Inspection Framework. You could also use any previous applications you’ve submitted as the basis for some of your answers.

Don’t forget to look out for prompts to attend our webinar, we’ll be sending email alerts and using Linked In and Twitter to remind people of where to a find it. Our industry experts will be discussing common application pitfalls and best practice techniques to bear in mind as you complete your application. And, if you’re already a Bud customer, we’ll be on hand to help and support you in any way we can.

Bud is here to help

While we undoubtedly understand and support the government’s desire to ensure high quality training, this repeated refreshing of the processes surrounding the RoATP is naturally causing frustration among training providers.

The ESFA are emphasising the need to track learner journeys and correctly record details within the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). And that, naturally, means having the right systems in place to collect data and store everything securely.

The Bud platform captures thousands of data points about every learner and feeds them into our innovative data warehouse, allowing integration with your preferred reporting tools and putting your learners at the heart of it all. What’s more, it will unquestionably make it easier when the time comes to complete those re-application documents for the RoATP.

Find out more about how Bud could help transform your training delivery.