Meet your training requirements simply and cost-effectively with our discounted offers.
Browse our catalogue of approved training providers to find quality training for your staff, ensuring you get the best value for money.
SkillsActive can offer you a number of tools to support how you manage your staff training.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Learn more about activepassport™ >
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.
Find out about Apprenticeship framework updates and other news relevant to Apprenticeships.
There is a range of intermediate level and advanced level Apprenticeships available in the sector, covering sport, fitness, playwork, caravans, the outdoors, and hair and beauty.
Apprenticeships usually take between 12 and 24 months to complete, depending on the type and level of Apprenticeship. Anyone aged over 16 and not in full-time education can apply.
Apprenticeships provide an entry point into many jobs in the active leisure, learning and wellbeing sector. Find out what exciting careers you could get into with Apprenticeships with SkillsActive Careers.
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.
The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) is SkillsActive's flagship sporting qualification for young people in England and Wales. It is designed for people with the realistic potential to achieve excellent in their sport, either by competing on the world stage or securing a professional contract.
Keep track of the training, qualifications and work experience you accrue during your Apprenticeship with an activepassport™
activepassport™ is a verified online record that enables you to prove to employers you possess the right skills, training, and experience. What’s more, you can convert it into a professional looking CV.|
If you’re an individual, activepassport™ can:
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 signed a skills protocol, committing they will work towards their employees holding and maintaining an activepassport™ as standard.
To get your activepassport™, simply become an ActiveOnline user.
Learn more about becoming an ActiveOnline user>
SkillsActive can help those looking for an active, rewarding career find the right training programme to get started!
Alternatively, find apprenticeship opportunities in your area by browsing the vacancies section of the National Apprenticeship Service.
You can use apprenticeships to train both new and existing employees.
SkillsActive works with active leisure, learning and wellbeing employers to develop Apprenticeships so the training is directly relevant to your industry. We can help you identify which of your staff is eligible for funded training. We can also broker relationships so small and medium sized businesses can access funding normally only available to larger companies.
Register your interest in discovering more about how Apprenticeships could benefit your business >
Apprenticeship funding is available from the Skills Funding Agency in England and Wales, Skills Development Scotland in Scotland, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland.
However, the size of the contribution varies depending on your sector and the age of the apprentice.
SkillsActive can help employers in England reduce costs and train more people by identifying which of your staff could be eligible for funded training. Our Funding Eligibility Service is a simple, effective way to improve your business performance by making the most of available funding.
Find out more about the Funding Eligibility Service >
Apprenticeships aren’t just for big businesses - small to medium sized businesses in England can afford to train Apprenticeships through SkillsActive’s Group Training Association (GTA).
The Group Training Association enables employers in England running small to medium enterprises to take on more new staff as apprentices. It does this by creating partnerships between employers so they can access funding and discounts normally only available to bigger companies.
Email the Group Training Association team This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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.
Read our Frequently Asked Questions to discover more about Apprenticeships in England >
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, ensuring apprentices develop the skills their employers need.
For information and documents relevant to apprenticeships your country, see Frameworks and Guidance
Find out about Apprenticeship framework updates and other news relevant to Apprenticeships.
To register your interest in offering Apprenticeships at your business email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Register your interest in discovering more about how Apprenticeships could benefit your business >
SkillsActive works on behalf of the active leisure, learning and well-being sector to develop a framework of qualifications, training and continuous professional that meet employer needs, ensuring the workforce is properly trained and qualified.
Through our National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, we deliver those qualifications, ensuring the training is quality assured, cost effective and relevant to employers’ needs.
SkillsActive works with training providers to deliver a wide range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to help people maintain their professional knowledge and skills.
SkillsActive offers a range of resources to help people upskill in areas such as communication, literacy and numeracy, and management.
SkillsActiveCareers provides expert advice on the training you need to work in the sport, fitness, playwork, outdoors and caravan industries.
National occupational standards (NOS) form the basis of qualifications, from Apprenticeships and foundation degrees to vocational qualifications and training programmes.
The standards also help define job roles, measure staff performance and identify and develop routes for progression and professional development.
Some of these standards cross over with other sectors, while the Sport and Active Leisure National Occupational Standards cover our whole sector.
SkillsActive works on behalf of the sector to create and deliver the qualifications employers need and want.
We make sure employers can access the right qualifications, based on national standards designed by employers, so the workforce is properly trained and qualified.
Read more about the Qualifications and Credit Framework
SkillsActive works with employers and training providers to develop qualifications that enable people to be competent in specific types of work.
SkillsActive identifies and endorses degrees in fitness, sport and leisure that effectively prepare students for employment.
SkillsActive is licensed by government to produce and maintain National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the active leisure, learning and wellbeing sector.
SkillsActive works with employers to ensure Apprenticeships across our sector deliver the knowledge and skills their business needs.
Fill the skills gaps in your company and build a highly loyal workforce with Apprenticeships. Find out how to access funded training.
Find out about Apprenticeship funding, frameworks, certification and verifying your apprentice’s training.
Kick-start your sport and active leisure career with an Apprenticeship. Find out more about the different types of Apprenticeships available.
Ensure your Apprenticeship programmes meet the needs of employers with SkillsActive’s frameworks.
Read our frequently asked questions to learn the facts about what an Apprenticeship entails.
Young apprentices learn the practical skills and knowledge required by employers, whilst studying for qualifications which specifically relate to the sector.
A Young Apprenticeship (YA) is completed during years 10 and 11 (key stage 4) of secondary education, and is completed alongside core curriculum subjects such as English, maths and science. Young apprentices will follow the core national curriculum subjects for three days a week with two days a week on average spent on the YA programme.
Please note - In May 2011 the government withdrew funding for all Young Apprenticeship programmes. Therefore, cohort 7 (2010-2012) will be the last group of learners to complete the programme.
Through the programme, students will complete:
For further information download a copy of one of the our brochures below or view our introductory video:
We have recently been evaluating Cohort 5 of the Young Apprenticeship Programme and results are now available.
You can also download the evaluation of Cohort 4 which was delivered between September 2007 and July 2009 as well as the evaluation of Cohort 3, which was delivered between September 2006 and July 2008.
For further information please contact SkillsActive on 020 7632 2000 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Young Apprenticeships - the proven way to start your career
The results are in and according to the evaluation of Cohort 5 of the Young Apprenticeship in Sports Management, Leadership and Coaching this has been the best year to be on the programme yet! Some of the headline figures include:
For a programme that has consistently been asked to demonstrate its merit, Cohort 5 Young Apprenticeship results make encouraging reading for everyone involved. When SkillsActive launched the evaluation last November, we wrote about the importance of the evaluation in the climate of the Comprehensive Spending Review and the huge cuts across all government funded programmes. This is a problem which everyone involved in the Young Apprenticeship is experiencing as the Coalition Government continues to delay its commitment of future funding for the Young Apprenticeship programme. It is the hope of SkillsActive that after a third year of hugely successful evaluation results, the Coalition Government will finally pledge to fund another cohort of learners to access this unsurpassed opportunity.
As detailed in the aforementioned blog the cohort 5 evaluation was conducted confidentially and independently by the research team at SkillsActive in accordance with the Market Research Society code of practice. The data was collected through online questionnaires specific to the three stakeholder groups; pupils, training providers and employers.
A record breaking 889 young apprentices completed the programme as part of cohort 5 from over 70 partnerships spread throughout England. The fact that learner satisfaction and success has remained so high amongst such a large cohort is particularly pleasing. In addition to the results already stated, the evaluation showed that young apprentices have learned skills commonly identified as skill shortage vacancies by employers; notably technical, practical or job-specific skills, problem solving, team working, oral communication and customer handling. As a result of the development of these skills, 27% of the young apprentices who responded to the evaluation were offered paid work by one of the employers they completed their work placements with. At a time of record levels of youth unemployment, this is a fact that we won't be slow to highlight to the Government.
The most rewarding part of evaluating the Young Apprenticeship is reading the comments which respondents provide. Comments such as the following from young apprentices:
"Gave me a huge amount of confidence, progressed my skills in various sports, allowed me to gain a job in the sport industry."
"I have always wanted to have a sports related job and this has vastly improved my knowledge of how to coach and work with both adults and children in sports. The main benefit I feel was the amount of qualifications I received for being part of YAP and these will all help me in the future to have more options when trying to find a career."
The results also provide evidence that employers view young apprentices favourably as potential future employees. Employers report added value in employing former young apprentices, as they are already well prepared, confident and committed to working in the sports industry. Employers feel that as well as the obvious benefits to young people, work experience through the YA has a positive impact for the sector overall. The following comments from employers reflect this:
"Everyone benefits. Its good for the student, they get hands on experience and get to carry out tasks, rather than just writing about them. As a centre, once the YA has had the induction and basic training, they assist the leisure attendant, so it's like having another member of staff."
"We have found the YAP a valuable tool in the development of competitions whether that be on the day of the competition or in the build up. We have utilised them for coaching in schools, officiating on competitions as well as acting as team leaders on the day. This has allowed us to create a high class competition for all participants."
The responses from schools, colleges, and training providers who deliver the programme are particularly important. The evaluation shows that 19 of the 25 providers reported that Cohort 5 of the Young Apprenticeship was above or exceeded expectations. The remaining six training providers said it met expectations. Training providers also report that the current financial climate and competition for work placements with employers has in some cases made sourcing work placements more difficult. However, they report strong support from SkillsActive and an interest in the possibility of a level 1 Young Apprenticeship.
SkillsActive Chief Executive Stephen Studd said:
"This evaluation perfectly encapsulates the broad qualifications and employability skills that the young people derive from this programme, providing a crucial first step into our industry. A step approved by employers as the route of choice for 14-16 year olds. I hope that the continued success of the programme, which this evaluation demonstrates, provides the Government with the required impetus to commit funding to ensure that young people can continue to access this fantastic opportunity."
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