SkillsActive works on behalf of the active leisure, learning and wellbeing sector to develop a framework of qualifications and training that meets employer needs, ensuring the workforce is properly trained and qualified.

Our National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure works with the best training providers in our sector to deliver cost-effective, quality assured training solutions.

Training

Providing training for employees not only helps them develop their skills and knowledge – it’s also a building block to business success.

Qualifications

SkillsActive works with employers and training providers to develop vocational qualifications that enable people to be competent in specific types of work.

Quality Assurance

Discover more about how SkillsActive ensures that quality training is available to those in the sector.

Training verification

 

Keep track of your training or your staff's training with activepassport™

Regular training is a vital component of working in the active leisure, learning and wellbeing sector.

Keep track of your training or that of your staff or learners with activepassport™ - a verified online record of an individual’s training, volunteering, CPD, qualifications, and achievements.

Over 20,000 people in the UK currently have an activepassport™, and more than 40 UK sport and leisure CEOs representing 70% of the workforce have now signed a skills protocol, committing they will work towards their employees holding and maintaining an activepassport™ as standard.

Learn more about activepassport>

Apprenticeships are usually delivered through a partnership between an employer and a training provider, although some larger employers may also operate as the training provider for themselves and others.

SkillsActive issues Apprenticeship frameworks, which outline the minimum requirements needed to complete the Apprenticeship at each level and for each occupation. We also provide certification for apprentices in England and Wales.

Access funding for Apprenticeships

If you are a training provider in England or Wales and you would like to deliver government funded Apprenticeships, you need to hold a contract with the Skills Funding Agency.

Training providers in Scotland need to hold a contract with Skills Development Scotland. Training providers in Northern Ireland need to hold a contract with the Department for Employment and Learning.

To gain a contract, you must meet certain requirements, such as minimum contracting value. If you do not meet the minimum contracting value, you can enter into a subcontracting arrangement with a larger training provider. If you are a training provider in England, one way to do this is by joining SkillsActive’s Group Training Association.

To find out more about the Group Training Association email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registration

Only training providers in Scotland need to register with SkillsActive to deliver Apprenticeships.

To register as a training provider with SkillsActive Scotland, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Types of Apprenticeships

There’s a wide variety of Apprenticeships available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Select a country below to learn more about the types of Apprenticeships available in your area.

• England >
• Northern Ireland >
• Scotland >
• Wales >

Frameworks and guidance

SkillsActive has worked with employers and training providers to develop a set of Apprenticeship frameworks. These outline the minimum requirements apprentices need to complete the apprenticeship at each level and for each occupation. You can then work with your employer and apprentice to identify the most suitable framework for their needs.

Learn more about the Apprenticeship frameworks available in your country by viewing Frameworks and Guidance.

Frameworks and Guidance>

Certification

At the end of their Apprenticeship, all apprentices need a certificate to show they have fulfilled the Apprenticeship requirements.

In England, Wales and Scotland, certificates are issued by SkillsActive. In Northern Ireland, they are issued by the Department for Employment and Learning.

Apprentices can apply for their own certificate or authorise their training provider to apply for one on their behalf.

England

A new certification service run by the Alliance has been developed and is known as Apprenticeship Certificates England (ACE). Apprentices, learning providers or employers who act on their behalf, will be able to request Apprenticeship certificates using the ACE online system. ACE provides a unique centralised certification system that will save Sector Skills Councils / Sector Skills Bodies (SSCs/SSBs), providers and certifying authorities valuable time, resource and investment and will allow them to track the progress of apprenticeship candidates. The system was officially launched on Wednesday 25 January 2012 by John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning.

You will need to register your organisation on the system via the online registration form; this can be done by going to www.acecerts.co.uk and completing the information and contact details. Once you have completed this process you will be emailed a username and password for ACE. This will be your "administrator" account which you can then use to create additional accounts for your centre. You will be able to create a maximum of 5 additional users.

The user guide that has been created for centres to help you use the system and also further e-learning materials can be found on www.acecerts.co.uk/tutorials. 

The cost of certificates will be £22.

Should you have any questions relating to the new online system, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Apprentice Authorization Form England (mandatory to complete for all framework claims via the ACE system)

Wales

This certificate is for apprentices completing their programme in Wales.

Certification Request Form Wales

Scotland

To request a certificate in Scotland, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Northern Ireland

These are issued by the Department for Employment and Learning.

Verify apprentice training

Keep track of your apprentice’s training with an activepassport™

activepassportTM is an auditable online tool that will help you track and record an individual’s Guided Learning Hours - a statutory requirement of the new frameworks in England and Wales.

If you’re a training provider, activepassport™ can:

• Give you an overview of your client’s skills, qualifications and competencies
• Identify missing mandatory CPD and compliance requirements
• Help you target individuals with specific courses
• Let you access an extensive captive market, increasing sales and reducing marketing costs
• Enable you to offer clients a powerful tool for maintaining their own records.

Learn more about activepassport™ >

Consultancy

Our consultants can provide you with detailed information about delivering Apprenticeship training, or developing frameworks to suit businesses in your area.

To find out more, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Updates

Find out about Apprenticeship framework updates and other news relevant to Apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship updates >