
Training delivery
When apprentices start their training, keep up to date with them through reviews and assessments.
Your Skills Investment Adviser (SIA) will contact you regularly to review how you’re delivering your training. They'll also get feedback from apprentices and employers who work with you.
Throughout the contract term, you need to tell us immediately about anything that might affect the contract. This could be changes to:
- sub-contractors
- signatories
- users
- awarding body approvals
Keep funding information up to date
Keep all your information up to date on the Funding Information and Processing System (FIPS). Your SIA will show you how to confirm the Modern Apprenticeships starts, milestones and outcome.
Each participant gets a notification through FIPS asking them to confirm their registration. If they do not do this, SDS will suspend their registration as a Modern Apprentice. Find out more about this in our FIPS guidance.
Claim payments
Check out our FIPS guides and training videos so you know how to manage and claim payments. These resources show you how to:
- use the system
- enter a new Modern Apprenticeship start
- claim progress and achievement payments
How to claim a milestone and completion payment
You can claim milestone payments when you meet all the obligations of the MA Provider Contract.
Apprentices will get a text message or email asking them to validate each milestone claim you make. This validation process is mandatory.
You need to register each apprentice with:
- an awarding body
- a Sector Skills organisation
The apprentice must be registered with the right group award and units. Each part of the qualification, broken down in the payment plan, needs to meet the requirements of the awarding body. Your Compliance Executive can provide guidance and information on:
- making claims
- the evidence needed for each claim
Check out the Payment Plan Milestone Evidence and other useful documents in the MA Programme rules page.
Report on progress
You have to carry out Apprentice Progress Reviews (APRs) with the apprentice and employer at least every 13 weeks. This happens for the whole apprenticeship and until the apprentice's leaving date is recorded and evidenced on FIPS.
As soon as the apprentice finishes each milestone, submit their unit achievement to the awarding body database or system. Submit your evidence and claims to SDS as soon as possible. Read more about this in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme Conditions.
The APR is mandatory for all apprentices and all Modern Apprenticeship frameworks. What you record should:
- relate to the activity at the initial assessment and learning plan
- act as a review against the findings, with a focus on the goals and objectives in their learning plan
See the Work Based Learning Quality Assurance & Improvement Hub development resources for more detailed information on:
- apprentice progress reviews
- initial assessment
- the learning plan
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