This deadline is extremely important!
If you fail to meet the Course Directory Provider Portal deadline then your RoATP application will automatically FAIL.
If arriving here in 2020 please be aware that this post was created in the 2016-2017 funding year and since then some of the links and information has changed. I've updated the links as best I can and hope you will still find some of the information useful. (updated 26/10/2020)
If you have applied to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP), via the main route, then you will have received an email requesting you to add information about your apprenticeship offer in the Course Directory Provider Portal.
The email included a link to access your account and contact details in case you have any problems trying to access the portal:
Telephone: 0844 811 5073
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Course Directory Portal will be new to you if you have never had a direct contract with the SFA and all the information you add will be seen in the Find an Apprenticeship Training section of the .Gov website or the Apprenticeships website.
Tip Before You Start...
There's been a lot of changes to course titles due to the change from frameworks to standards and this has caused problems when trying to add apprenticeship details in the portal.
To avoid this frustration I recommend that you check out the Find Apprenticeship Training page and search for the apprenticeships you will offer to get the correct information before you start completing you offer in the Course Directory Provider Portal.
Example:
I searched for Adult Care and 66 apprenticeship training offers are displayed.
If you continue on and click any of the results you will find the training provider listed at the bottom.
You will then get an idea of how they describe their apprenticeship offers as these should comply with the style guidelines and have already been accepted in the directory.
Course Directory Documentation
Here are some handy documents to help with your apprenticeship offer:
Find apprenticeship training: how to submit data
1. Data quality assurance
2. Provider information
3. Apprenticeship training information
4. Style and compliance
Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide explains more about style guidelines.
Sections in The Course Directory To Complete
The requirement is to ONLY add your apprenticeship offer!
1. Main Provider Details: Make sure your company details are correct and make sure the name of your company is not
typed in capital letters.
2. Course Data: This does not apply to you, so don't complete it!
3. Apprenticeship Data: Add all the Apprenticeships you offer along with their locations.
3. Ignore the traffic lights at the top of the screen, this does not apply to you.
Key Points for Quality Checks!
There are several points which you need to consider when preparing your apprenticeship offer as this will be quality checked.
Brief Overview
The brief overview of your company has a maximum of 750 characters and should include:
• What type of training provider you are.
• How long you have been delivering apprenticeship training.
• Any association with particular sectors or specialisms.
• The area of the country you cover.
The content must also:
• Be specifically targeted at employers.
• Apply to all apprenticeships you offer.
• Be compliant with the SFA's style guidelines.
• Be accurate and current.
The Content
As above, the content of your apprenticeship offer should include:
• Be specifically targeted at employers.
• Apply to all apprenticeships you offer.
• Be compliant with the SFA's style guidelines.
• Be accurate (provide sources for claims)
• Be current.
• Use the terms 'apprenticeship', 'training' and apprentice.
Your offer should NOT include:
• The terms 'standard', 'learner', 'course' and 'framework'.
• Any unconfirmed claims.
• Employers names.
• Anything other than overall Ofsted grade.
Apprenticeship Training for Employers
The content for this section must follow the same principles and the following should be included:
• Be specifically targeted at employers.
• Apply to the specific apprenticeship.
• Be compliant with the SFA's style guidelines.
• Be accurate (for claims such as awards and awarded by)
• Be current.
• Use the terms 'apprenticeship', 'training' and apprentice.
The following should NOT be included:
• The terms 'standard', 'learner', 'course' and 'framework'.
• Any unconfirmed claims.
• List the content of the apprenticeship.
• Any job roles.
Ready for QA
Once you have completed all of your apprenticeship offers and brief overview, then you need to have the content checked by the QA team.
There is a Ready for QA button on the top right of each page, you can click any of these.
It normally takes a few days to receive your feedback.
Points to Note!
1. You must input your apprenticeship offer AND click the Ready for QA button by 5pm on deadline day.
2. If the frameworks you deliver have been withdrawn but standards not approved, input your company information
and contact the help desk to inform them.
Telephone: 0844 811 5073 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
3. You can add apprenticeships after the deadline to satisfy the removal of frameworks and addition of
standards.
4. This directory is specifically for apprenticeship training.
5. Both standards and frameworks can be added to the directory.
6. The Ready for QA button will not be visible until you have added your apprenticeship offer.
7. Make sure you only input apprenticeships on the portal which you can widely deliver. Don't offer information for
an apprenticeship which you only intend to deliver to a specific employer.
8. Within the Apprenticeship course information you can add locations. Enter the postcode of your company and a
suitable catchment area such as 15 miles, so employers have more information.
Section 4.4. The Apprenticeship data: course directory provider portal user guide is no longer available.
