The ESFA is looking to award a single supplier or consortium to deliver the ASK programme for the North Region. The ESFA wants to encourage applications from a range of providers to promote evidence-based innovation and support the development of a sustainable market.

The ASK Programme aims to assist schools with their statutory duty to provide impartial careers advice and guidance to young people by providing them with a bespoke package of comprehensive information about apprenticeships.

Schools can access a variety of support including student awareness sessions, CPD for teachers, parent events and live broadcasts. The ASK Programme supports the Apprenticeship reform programme, benefits realisation strategy and communications objectives through the Fire it Up campaign. It is about improving awareness and boosting perceptions of apprenticeships, driving growth in applications and supporting progression and increasing 16-18 starts.

This is the first time that the programme has included KS3, for those students in year 7, 8, 9 as historically the ASK Programme has been for years 10, 11 and 12 and 13.

There are 3 strands to the wider ASK Programme and all are essential to the delivery of the ASK Programme:

— ASK service delivery programme (the ASK Services to which this procurement refers) — being the delivery partners contracted to deliver face to face sessions to students, teachers and parents.