ABC Training (not the real company name!) is an independent provider employing 25 people. Its background is in health and social care, but other than this area they deliver management, business admin, customer care qualification along with related essential skills etc. All their programmes are delivered to employed status learners. They do not have a direct contract with the SFA or the Welsh Government. They derive their funding from 2 contracts with 2 seperate ‘lead providers’ in Wales and 3 contracts with 3 separate ‘lead providers’ or ‘primes’ in England. The 3 English contracts include ‘ a provider group or network’ and 2 individual providers. Few learners are under 18, none are under 16 all are apprentices.
Evidence – general reflection.
The evidence to support this case study is derived from a visit to the provider to audit the business by DTD Training Ltd. DTD Training has a long association with the business which results from the Welsh Assembly Governments Health and Safety Code of Practice which determined that all lead providers should audit their sub-contract provision. Unfavourable audits several years ago led ABC Training to engage the services of DTD Training to up-skill the team, identify deficiencies against the Code of Practice, interpret the requirements of lead provider action plans and generally improve t
It is still the case in October 2014 and moving forward to new contracts awarded in April 2015 that lead providers in Wales are required to audit their sub-contractors. Whilst no contractual requirement in England exists to the same extent as Wales, ABC Training are visited annually by 2 of their ‘primes’, audited and given a development action plan.
There are many other points that can be made regarding the situation that ABC find themselves in. The problem is equally as significant for the lead providers and primes.