Decision details

To ask for support of the proposal to wind-down the accredited learning centres (and the associated income streams) in order to achieve budgetary efficiencies.

It is recommended that the portfolio holder supports the proposal to cease the operation of the accredited learning and apprenticeship delivery centres

The recommendations are made to achieve the financial efficiencies required and to ensure that appropriate training provision continues within the council that is fit for purpose.

The accredited training centre and apprenticeship delivery centre could be retained although this would result in a cost both in terms of registration fees and officer time but without any financial income as the council has now exhausted its supply of potential internal apprentices.
With the revised staffing structure now implemented there would be insufficient resource to be able to properly deliver accredited training programmes. Furthermore, the retention of the centres would require extensive resource (officer time) to maintain the “shell” of administrative systems in order to meet the standards expected through external inspection but without any real training product or income.
To maintain the centre and to try to support additional officer time would not be financially viable; the market proves this. Over the last year large organisations dedicated to delivery of training (a number of colleges for example) have failed due to the limited business that they have been able to generate in the private sector combined with the very high costs of running an accredited centre with its demanding inspection and charging regimes. In addition our learning centre is not accredited to deliver apprenticeships to small (non-levy paying) businesses and this restricts market opportunity further. Registration to deliver to these businesses is possible but not without additional staffing resources and costs would far outweigh income. Some delivery to large businesses (other local councils) has been possible but the quantity of apprentices put forward for training would demonstrate that this source of income again would be too small to support an accredited apprenticeship centre.