The latest issue of the Federation Oracle, the one stop shop for updates from within Apprenticeships is here.

In this edition you will find information on

• Rejections on the rise costing the network £20,000 for June alone.

• Transition from Frameworks to Standards
• Sector Skills Council, Improve Ltd, merges with National Skills Academy for Food & Drink

BIS announced the 3rd batch of frameworks for withdrawal on 6^th July. There is a period of consultation which runs until the 6^th of August. The online survey can be accessed here.

The frameworks included in this consultation have:

• had fewer than 125 starts in 2014 to 2015 funding year and so far in the 2015 to 2016 funding year or;
• coverage by suitable replacement Apprenticeship Standard(s)

SFA/BIS will review the consultation feedback and, in September, will announce the final Batch 3 list of frameworks for withdrawal. This will give 6 months’ notice before the date of withdrawal which is set for 31^st March 2017.

For further information, please refer to the Apprenticeship Changes page on GOV.UK or email the Service Desk.

We have recently implemented some updates within the ACE system. Please see below for more detail.

Start Date/Framework Validation

New validation is being introduced to the Framework tab of every ACE apprentice record.

During the framework selection process you should always select the framework relevant to the apprentice’s Start Date*. However, if you happen to make an incorrect selection you will receive the following error message –

The framework selected was not an active framework at the start date of this Apprentice. Please double check the start date and framework selected. If you cannot find the correct framework please contact the relevant Certification Body

To resolve this you will need to return to the Framework tab and reselect the correct framework based on the apprentice’s Start Date*

This should help negate any selection errors and reduce unnecessary rejections, and give you clearer direction when uploading apprenticeship claims.

You may notice changes on the system from 18^th Monday July as we update all frameworks within ACE.

*This refers to the Start Date as recorded in an apprentice’s Basic Info tab.

UKPRN
A new field has been added to all Centre registrations, under the Basic Information tab, allowing you to record your UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN). Please note this field is not mandatory.

Advanced Search by Level
A new Advanced Search Field has been added – all users can now search by Apprenticeship Level.

Notifications
Users can now expand their view Notifications up to 100 per page, and a ‘Select All’ feature has also been added.

If you have any further questions in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact the ACE Support Team