The University of Gloucestershire offers Higher and Degree Level apprenticeships to employers covering a range of subject areas. The great majority of our apprenticeship delivery is carried out by the University, however, the University will consider subcontracting training provision that is specialist, or beyond our existing scope or capacity. This will be undertaken to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A national requirement for all apprenticeships is that prior to completion, apprentices must hold relevant qualifications at a level defined by the ESFA in English and maths. It is possible that some apprentices will not hold these qualifications prior to entry onto a programme, and where this is the case, the University will subcontract the delivery of Functional Skills English and math level 2 qualifications as part of the apprenticeship programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ESFA\u2019s rules governing subcontracted delivery are designed to increase the quality of this provision and to ensure that employers have a direct relationship with their main provider. As the main training provider, The University will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purpose of this policy is to provide accurate and comprehensive information to external agencies and potential subcontractors on how the University procures its subcontracted services, the pricing framework used and how quality will be managed and monitored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This policy applies to all subcontracted provision funded by the ESFA. The Subcontracting Policy is a mandatory requirement for subcontracting activity. The policy\u2019s content has been developed to comply with the ESFA Apprenticeship and Performance Management Rules for Main Providers; August 2022 to July 2023, Version 1; issued July 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University will at all times undertake fair and transparent procurement activities. Selection and procurement of subcontractors will be carried out in accordance with the University’s Procurement Policy and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University will inform the Chief Executive of the ESFA in writing, about any circumstances which might lead to an actual or perceived conflict of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University will undertake a robust process of due diligence when selecting potential subcontractors to ensure the highest quality of learning delivery is made available which demonstrates value for money and has a positive impact on the experience of both Employers and Learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In line with revised ESFA Guidance, the University will only procure the service of subcontractors who are registered on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) to deliver services to employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of our Due Diligence processes, subcontractors are required to have robust policies in place which will be retained by the University and should include (but need not be limited to) the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Copies of the policies will be retained by the University for Audit and Inspection purposes and made available to ESFA and Ofsted as part of their inspection and Audit regime. The subcontractor should review policies on a regular basis and provide the University with revised copies as appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least annually, the University of Gloucestershire will conduct a review of its due diligence checks on each subcontractor to ensure that the subcontracted provider continues to be able to deliver contracted services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University will also conduct further due diligence checks if there is any material change in the subcontracted provider that has the potential to impact on its ability to deliver subcontracted services. These include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Successful partners will be required to sign a legally binding contract eligible for the period from when the contract commences until the planned completion date of an apprenticeship. The requirements of this policy form part of that contractual agreement. It will be signed and witnessed by the subcontractor and the University. Terms and conditions will be agreed and included in the contract. The University, Ofsted and the ESFA are granted full permission and rights to monitor the quality of training being provided and visit the subcontractor at their premises, training sites or employer\u2019s premises from which they operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All Subcontracting will reflect completely and accurately the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roles and responsibilities of the management of the contract will be outlined in Appendix 3 – Contract Management Plan – Roles and Responsibilities for Apprenticeship Subcontracting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University is committed to delivering high quality teaching and learning for the Apprentice and Employer across its provision and will work with each subcontractor to review progress and manage the quality of sub-contracted provision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All new subcontractors will be subject to an initial visit to confirm approval of appointment as a subcontractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following processes will be used to monitor the quality of subcontracted provision and actively improve quality on an on-going basis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University will take a risk management approach to subcontractor management to ensure that appropriate levels of contact monitoring and Quality Assurance are maintained. This approach will be based on the number of apprentices placed with a subcontractor as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
| Number of apprentices placed with subcontractor<\/th> | Number of contract review meetings in academic year<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10<\/td> | 1<\/td><\/tr> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10-20<\/td> | 2<\/td><\/tr> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20+<\/td> | 3<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In order to enable contract review meetings to be conducted effectively and efficiently, the subcontracted provider will be asked to provide the university the following information at least 3 weeks prior to the review meeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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