Victoria Russell-Robbins

Shortening typical duration to gateway

Edited

Hello all, 

We are a new employer-provider and are due to start two apprenticeships that have a 'typical duration to gateway: 18 months (78 weeks)'. We have designed the content of our apprenticeships to meet the standard and feel it will prepare the apprenticeship for success at gateway, however, it will take less time - 71 weeks (still well over the min 52 weeks). We will then have, what we’re calling, a ‘core content’ of 380 otj hours - this would be for someone who works 30 hours with no prior knowledge. Most of our apprentices work 32.5 or 37.5 hours so will have more otj hours but our part-timers will have 380 otj hours. There is another question in this forum that implies you can only reduce the length if you have prior experience of delivering the course and knowledge of content impact – is that true? Obviously as we are new, we don't have past experience of delivering this apprenticeship. I also understand from a few other providers we’ve spoken to that they too have reduced the duration of the same course, but we didn’t get much background. Is this within the funding rules? I’d be really grateful for thoughts and experience from you all.

Thank you very much.

Replies

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Martin West

Most standards only state typical duration and the minimum duration is 12 months, if your normal delivery duration for the Practical period for those with prior and no prior experience is between these then there is no issue.

Steve Hewitt

I agree that it's not an individual problem for you to do this for the reasons Martin states. The longer term repercussions *if everyone is running it at 16 months* is *eventually* IfATE will probably lower the band...

(Edited)

Victoria Russell-Robbins

Thank you both very much.