As well as your local college that might have a work-based learning department, there are other organisations that also provide Apprenticeship training:

Independent Training Providers - these may be local, regional or national private companies that have been established to offer a range of training at different levels. They may recruit apprentices and still send them to a local college for the Technical Certificates and Key Skills while monitoring progress on the NVQ portfolios.

Some are dedicated to specific skill areas on a country-wide basis, examples being Vidal Sassoon and CITB, while others may offer a range of skills at a local level. The national organisations may be employers who conduct their own training, such as Vidal Sassoon, or providers who offer training to other organisations’ apprentices such as CITB and JHP Group.

Some are established to provide a service to local employers in specific skill areas, such as engineering. BTAL in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is one such organisation.

Public Sector Bodies - Local Authorities and the NHS recruit apprentices for a range of skills and frequently have their own training departments, although they may work with other training providers and may also send their apprentices to local colleges for part of that training. Quite often Local Authorities offer no guarantees of permanent employment following completion of an Apprenticeship, but frequently the apprentice does get offered a permanent contract on completion of the framework. Because of their size, public sector bodies often recruit to a wide range of skill areas, including construction, administration and, in the case of the NHS, nursing.

Where can I find information on local training providers?
You can find out about the training providers who operate in your area by looking in the local area prospectuses. You will find these in the section for your sub-region in the Regional Information. Alternatively, the regional LSC has a publication (Steps to Success) that also provides information on all the providers in Yorkshire and the Humber. Copies can be found in your local Connexions centre, or can be obtained by telephoning 0845 0194169. Alternately, you can download a pdf version for viewing or printing by clicking here.

National Employer Service
Where an employer has more than 5,000 employees, they can contract directly with the LSC and so deliver their own training to apprentices. The LSC now has a website dedicated to this service – the National Employer Service (NES). You will find some famous names included in the NES, such as Vidal Sassoon, BT, Tesco and the Armed Services. If you would like to know who else is represented and the apprenticeships that they offer, click here.

For more general information on the NES, click here.