Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), has been named as one of just 13 training organisations chosen by the Department for Education (DfE) to become an expert apprenticeship provider.
NSCG is one of just five further education colleges in England involved in the 12-month pilot, responsible for acting in an ambassadorial role to reduce bureaucracy and improve the experience for SMEs interested in recruiting apprentices.
Additionally, over the next 12 months NSCG will be given the opportunity to work directly with senior officials from the DfE to influence and shape apprenticeship policy, become champions for innovation and challenge a broad range of topical areas. These include funding policy, quality and audit.
Carl Riding, Director of Employer Partnerships and Estates for NSCG, said: “We were delighted to learn that NSCG has been selected to become a champion for improvements to the current apprenticeship system for non-levy employers.
“We hope that we’ll be able to share our expertise and make a meaningful contribution throughout the pilot phase and that our input will help to shape future practice in a way that that will positively benefit both providers and SMEs.
“NSCG experienced excellent growth in apprenticeship starts in 2022/3 as well as sector leading achievement rates.
“We hope the outcomes of the pilot will lead to even more small and medium sized employers engaging in the apprenticeship scheme and taking on apprentices to help future proof their business. We’re really looking forward to getting started.”
The scheme began with a launch meeting last month and will now run for a 12-month period.
During this time NSCG officials will be involved in a series of meetings, workshops, round-table events, practical activities and evaluation sessions to test the impact of expert status.
To find out more about NSCG Apprenticeships, visit: www.nscg.ac.uk/apprenticeships.
