UVAC returns to the Annual Training Conference (ATC) 2-3 March at ACC Liverpool as the Higher Education Partner, delivering workshop sessions, exhibiting and joining the Gala Dinner and Apprenticeship and Training Awards Ceremony which wraps up the two day event. 

As the UK’s Leading Conference for Skills, Apprenticeships & Workforce Training the event offers delegates a wide range of dynamic plenary sessions, with high-profile keynote speakers, as well as a choice of over 80 practical workshops across a wide range of reform-driven themes. UVAC Associates will be joining the 100+ speakers as they deliver four practical, future-focused workshops designed to support providers, leaders and policymakers navigating a fast-evolving apprenticeships and skills landscape. Topics covered in these workshop sessions include employer partnerships & pathways, skills intelligence & workforce planning, system reform & policy as well as leadership development.

The sessions to be presented by UVAC are:

Navigating Successful Delivery at Levels 4 and 5 Including Higher Apprenticeships

Delivered by Sarah Tudor and Maighréad Hegarty

This session will provide guidance and insight on navigating OfS registration and creating a successful environment for technical training below the level of a bachelor’s degree including levels 4 and 5 apprenticeship design and delivery. From a private training provider / higher education institution’s perspective, delegates will begin to explore the key Office for Students requirement for registration and recognition reflecting the themes of resilience, change and future proofing to enable further education to take advantage of the new remit offered by the proposals in the post-16 White Paper.

Non-Executive Directors – Strengthening Oversight in Apprenticeship and Skills Delivery

Delivered by Rebecca Rhodes and Tammie Harwin

Given the policy fluctuations and the quickening pace of new skills products, this session will take time examining how Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) can and should be driving quality, compliance and profitability in a time of rapid change in apprenticeships and wider skills delivery. This session’s relevance is in the context of good governance and leadership in a time of rapid change and the increasing regulation of FE.

Unlocking the UK’s Potential: Connecting Tertiary Education Pathways to Raise Standards, Champion Future Skills and Deliver Further and Higher Technical Skills Excellence

Delivered by Cerian Ayres and Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee

The UK’s prosperity depends on delivering quality education for all—so that no one is left behind. By breaking down barriers to opportunity and strengthening our further and higher technical education systems through effective partnerships, we can raise standards, champion future skills, and empower apprentices and learners, to realise their ambitions—unlocking the UK’s potential to drive sustainable economic development and growth. This workshop explores how degree apprenticeships and higher technical education are transforming opportunities for apprentices and learners of all ages and levels—helping them develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to be work-ready, and to thrive in growth-driving industry sectors, while meeting employer needs, and enabling communities to prosper. Led by UVAC—the national voice for higher and degree apprenticeships, this interactive session will showcase how collaboration between universities, further education colleges, independent training providers (ITPs) and employers are delivering high-quality, inclusive learning, that builds the UK’s technical talent pipeline and advances the ambitions, shared in the Post 16 Education and Skills white paper and guided by the UK’s Industrial Strategy, through further and higher technical skills excellence.

Curriculum Development – Designing Modules for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) Versus the Growth and Skills Levy

Delivered by Rebecca Rhodes and Jane Welbourn

Given the policy demands of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper this session will facilitate thoughts and ideas on curriculum design for LLE-funded modules compared to the Growth and Skills Levy apprenticeships and ‘apprenticeship units’.  With a focus on flexibility, credit structure and quality, participants will be encouraged to explore how to implement Government’s priorities through modularisation and will get to discuss curriculum design principles that ensure quality, relevance, and transferability across learner types.

If you are registered for the conference please do visit our team on our exhibition stand, or join the UVAC associates at their workshops.

 Read more about ATC 2026