LCR Local Authority and Merseytravel Apprenticeship Levy Group

1. LCR Local Authority and Merseytravel Apprenticeship Levy Group Stephanie Green: Liverpool City Council: Apprenticeship Programme and Performance Lead:

2. Welcome & a bit about us: • Thank you for coming and allowing us to share our vision as employers regarding future apprenticeship procurement. • The “Apprenticeship Levy Group” was established in September 2018. • Membership is drawn from the apprenticeship leads for all 6 LCR local authorities and Merseytravel. • The group meets monthly and it’s purpose is to:“Support collaborative apprenticeship activity across the Liverpool City Region Local Authorities and Merseytravel to maximise performance against Public Sector apprenticeship targets and levy spend”.

3. The Group and its Targets • A collective of some of the largest public sector employers in the Liverpool City Region. • We employ 41,000 staff, and pay just over £4.4 million per year into the levy. • Since the introduction of the levy in May 2017 apprenticeships have become increasingly integral to our organisational development programmes. • Each of our organisations is targeted with 2.3% of their employees starting an apprenticeship between April 2017 & March 2021. • Equating to a target of 900 starts per annum across the group.

4. The Group and its Targets • The group has been proactive in focussing on increasing apprenticeship participation and levy spend. • Produced engagement materials for both LA and grant maintained schools. • Undertaken LA Level and collective performance and gap analysis to gain insight into current impact and future apprenticeship opportunities. • Introduced a number of LCR agreements and processes. • Moving towards streamlining procurement systems and working together to collectively purchase where appropriate.

5. Performance to date: • In partnership with a wide range of providers - we have delivered 1,035 apprenticeship starts over the last 2 years. • As we mature in terms of levy management and apprenticeship engagement within our organisations, there has been a significant upturn in starts. • In 2018/19 (the second year of the PS targets) we have more than doubled starts to 693 – placing us significantly ahead of the Local Government sector projections nationally. • Delivering 77% of our Public Sector Targets, compared to a national projection of 51%. • There is however, clearly still much scope for apprenticeship growth within LA’s locally, regionally and nationally.

6. Performance to date: • We employ a wide range of apprentices and have had starts on over 60 different frameworks / standards. • With over 50 different providers.(However, only 5 have more than 50 starts) • In the following currentproportions:

7. Performance to date: • To date the biggest frameworks / standards by volume have been:

8. Procurement: • We are all public sector organisations – our procurement needs to be compliant with all legislation (EU Public Contracts Regulations 2015) and fit within our own internal processes. • In the past we have tended to purchase apprenticeships separately as Local Authorities, using differing timeframes / methodologies and paperwork etc. • As we begin to work more collaboratively we recognise that this model may not be the most efficient methodology for both us and the provider base. • As a group we proactively sought a solution to this with the aim of simplifying procurement processes, and have decided moving forward to use the YPO Apprenticeships and Associated Training Framework as a key procurement route. • We have written to our current providers and informed GMLPF and it’s members of our intentions in early February. • This meeting is part of our strategy to continue to inform you of this decision and to encourage you to work with us to make our future procurement a success.

9. Procurement: • We therefore hope that as many “local” providers as possible – will join the framework. The YPO Framework has a range of benefits. • 100% publicly owned. (Not for profit). • Leading public sector purchasing organisation. • Framework meets all public sector procurement rules and is a form of pre-qualification. • Structured into three tiers. • New providers and standards updated quarterly. • User friendly and well documented. • Enables direct awards or mini competitions. • Regularly updated – each quarter. (New providers / new standards). (Currently 397 live standards) • Provides a route for individual LA and collective procurement. • Reduces bureaucracy and time taken bidding to deliver provision.

10. Procurement: Opportunities • Each organisation will continue to purchase its own core provision, where they have recognised cohorts, or if provision is easily sourced and delivered. • Where possible this will be through the YPO Framework, for which suitable providers will be pre-qualified, this will make procurement quicker and easier, for both the LA and the provider base. • Where appropriate LA’s will work together to jointly procure and in a range of sectors build viable cohorts collectively to encourage provider market participation.

11. Procurement: Opportunities • Alongside “core” procurement, which each organisation is agreeing internally within their local apprenticeship action plans. • Demand from within our organisations is becoming increasingly focussed on department / occupations not served by apprenticeships in the past. • We intend to communicate better with local provider base – through GMLPF and to work with YPO proactively to help stimulate supply. • These qualifications will not only be in demand in LCR but within LA’s across the North West and nationally. • Opportunity for our “local” provider base to enter new markets and become deliverers to meet LA needs.

12. Procurement: Cohort Building Examples • We are working collectively to build cohorts in a wide of apprenticeships including. • Additionally we are analysing workforce planning data to establish opportunities for further apprenticeship training within our organisations.

13. Procurement: Some Standards • We recognise that achieving our ambitions for apprenticeships within the LCR is only achievable through partnership and collaboration. • We hope that we can work together with local providers and YPO to better align supply and demand. • YPO will tell us all about the Framework and how to apply but a reminder that we would encourage interested providers to take action within the current application window – closes June 3rd 2019 at 2pm.