ESFA weekly round-up – Issue 355

Education & Skills Funding Agency’s weekly round-up of business-critical information to ESFA-funded colleges, other training organisations and direct grant employers. (19 April 2017)

1. Adding apprentices to the apprenticeship service

Providers on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) offering levy-funded apprenticeships from 1st May can now add apprentices in the apprenticeship service.

Beforehand, you need to ensure:

• your super user has registered in IDAMs
• the contract authoriser has signed the ESFA apprenticeships funding agreement on the Skills Funding Service
• you have a contract for service with each employer, as per the Apprenticeship funding and performance management rules 2017 to 2018

The first time an employer asks you to add or approve apprentices on the service, you must confirm you’ve agreed to train their apprentices.

For technical support with ESFA systems, including IDAMS, please contact our Service Centre.

2. Purdah pre-election guidance Information

Following the announcement of a general election a period of purdah will begin on Friday 21st April, it will last until the election results are announced.

Purdah places restrictions on the types of external communications that can be issued and includes announcements about new initiatives.

We are awaiting full guidance from the Permanent Secretary and will share this in the next issue of Update.