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NTU Apprenticeships: Subcontracting statement

Learn about NTU Apprenticeships subcontracting agreement, which will add value to the quality of its own or another lead provider’s apprenticeship delivery.

The University operates its apprenticeship subcontracting arrangements in-line with Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) apprenticeship funding rules and associated guidance for subcontracting with delivery partners.

The University operates apprenticeship subcontracting in one of two ways:

  • The University acts as the lead training provider and sub-contracts some of the training to a partner institution for delivery. The University retains oversight of the whole apprenticeship.
  • The University acts as a sub-contractor to another lead training provider for parts of the training. The lead provider retains oversight of the whole apprenticeship.

Subcontracting relationships will be in one of three forms:

  1. Subcontract for Functional Skills English and Maths delivery.
  2. Subcontract to the employer or another learning provider for delivery of selected knowledge, skills or behaviours. Where subcontracting is in the apprentice’s best interests by enhancing the apprenticeship experience, an apprentice’s employer can be approved to deliver selected units from within our programme. This will only be in instances where the employer is on the RoATP and has sufficiently qualified persons with appropriate levels of expertise.
  3. The University acts as the lead training provider and sub-contracts some of the training to a partner institution for delivery, to fill a gap in niche or expert provision.

All NTU apprenticeship subcontracting arrangements are agreed with employers in advance of the commencement of the apprenticeship delivery and clearly articulated in the Employer Agreement and Commitment Statement.

For the purposes of subcontracting arrangements where NTU is the lead training provider in an apprenticeship, the University is deemed a contracting authority awarding a public contract as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and thus complies with the provisions of those regulations.

The University retains responsibility for all of the actions of our delivery subcontractors that are connected to, or arise out of, all the apprenticeship training and on-programme assessment that is subcontracted to them. In accordance with ESFA funding rules, as the lead training provider the University will always undertake a substantive portion of the delivery of any apprenticeship where a subcontracting arrangement is in place.

In some cases, the University will retain some of the delivery costs in order to manage and quality assure a subcontracting arrangement. Where this is the case, all associated costs are clearly identified within the Employer Agreement and employers are provided with an itemised breakdown of the costs. Additionally, the proportion of sub-contracted delivery is identified within the Commitment Statement so that delivery arrangements are clear and transparent for all parties.

NTU currently has subcontracting agreements in place with:

  • Nottingham University Hospitals Trust
  • Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Runway Training

The University Centre for Academic Development and Quality maintain the University policy for apprenticeship subcontracting. Visit this page to view this policy.

Please contact the NTU Apprenticeships team at apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk or 0115 848 2589 for further information.

Still need help?

Apprenticeships team
0115 848 2589