29 March 2021 
Ashley Shelbrooke, HEPA and Project Specialist
In conjunction with RSM and colleagues in UHR we are delighted to be running two free time to talk sessions covering apprenticeships, including the levy, compliance and common challenges with apprenticeships in a HE context.
The apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, but only approximately a third of the education sector currently offer apprenticeships and many Providers don’t fully utilise the Levy they pay. Our interactive session will explore some of the risks of not embracing the apprenticeship levy and the role of finance and HR colleagues in ensuring value for money and getting what you pay for.
The session will be led by James Whybrow, Associate Director at RSM. James has worked as a Senior Leader in the private and education sectors for over 15 years, the last 10 of which were senior management strategic roles in Further Education Colleges. James was strategic and operational lead for the engagement of employers and stakeholders in the development and delivery of apprenticeships. Working with employers and Local Enterprise Partnerships he helped develop employer workforce programmes through apprenticeships.
BUFDG and HEPA members can book their place for part 1 here, and UHR members can book theirs here.
The session will focus on Apprenticeship assurance and compliance matters, specifically targeting common issues identified in HE provision. It will also give an overview of the ESFA assurance approach and advice on how to keep on the right side of the rules.
The session will be led by Karl Bentley, Senior Manager at RSM. Karl has worked in the education sector since 1996 starting at a Further Education college running external contracts including Apprenticeships. In 2001 Karl moved to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) national office to work in a specialist team focused on arbitration and special investigations before transferring to the National Funding Audit team running the contract between the LSC and audit firms. In 2005 Karl joined RSM and is the firms technical lead for FE/Skills funding and data working with a wide number of providers providing assurance and advisory services. In the last 12 months he has dedicated more time to working with Higher Education clients, advising and supporting them on Apprenticeship compliance matters.
Karl is also part of the ESFA funding assurance forum that discusses the assurance approach and recommends amendments as funding and data requirements. He is also part of PDSAT advisory group that review the reports and makes suggestions for new reports. He is also a regular speaker on assurance topics for LSECT, AoC and various regional FE and Skills groups as well as delivering workshops and webinars.
BUFDG and HEPA members can book their place for part 2 here, and UHR members can book theirs here.
