The Education & Skills Consultancy

What The Education & Skills Consultancy does

The Education & Skills Consultancy is a private, founder-led UK professional services firm based in Doncaster that supports organisations in the further education and apprenticeship sector with specialist compliance, bid writing, and regulatory advisory services. The firm operates with a team of seven named consultants led by Managing Director James Hart (20+ years in the UK skills sector) and offers six core service lines: bid writing for ESFA, DWP and Local Authority tenders; Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR) applications; awarding body accreditation support; Ofsted inspection preparation; funding rules compliance audits; and organisational growth planning.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees, with publicly disclosed fixed-project pricing on APAR applications ranging from £3,600 (Supporting Provider) to £4,500 (Main Provider and Employer Provider), exclusive of VAT. Other engagements are quoted on a project basis. Clients include independent training providers, further education colleges, and employers pursuing apprenticeship provider status, with engagement scopes ranging from single-project applications to multi-year ongoing support relationships (PHX Training 5+ years; Omni Academy since 2019; AVT 18 months; Resolve UK 1+ year). Distribution is conducted primarily through direct consultation bookings led by the Managing Director, supported by a content-led website, LinkedIn presence, Twitter/X, and email newsletter.

No proprietary technology, software platform, or AI tooling underpins the offering; all services are delivered by human practitioners. The consultancy claims a 100% pass rate on APAR applications and over £40 million in cumulative funding contract wins attributed to its bid writing leadership, with 180+ clients served since inception across England.

Name

The Education & Skills Consultancy

Legal name

The Education and Skills Consultancy

Website

https://education-and-skills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Education & Skills Consultancy is a UK-based professional services firm helping independent training providers, FE colleges, and employers navigate apprenticeship registration, Ofsted inspection, awarding body accreditation, and public funding bids through a seven-consultant specialist team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Further Education Consultancy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

Keywords

• Bid writing services
• Apprenticeship provider applications
• Ofsted inspection preparation
• Funding rules compliance
• Further education consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Doncaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Professional Services: The company generates revenue through consultancy fees for services including bid writing, APAR applications, awarding body accreditation support, Ofsted preparation, funding rules compliance, and organisational growth planning. Services are billed at fixed project fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Education & Skills Consultancy is a UK further-education consultancy that helps independent training providers, FE colleges and employers win government-funded training contracts. Its core work consists of preparing and submitting competitive bids (ESFA, DWP, Local Authority, Adult Education Budget), managing Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR) applications, supporting Ofsted inspections, and advising on funding rules compliance and organisational growth. Services are delivered by a team of seven named consultants and are billed as fixed-fee projects.

Product overview

The Education & Skills Consultancy is a professional services firm offering a portfolio of six consultancy services for the further education sector. The core offerings include Bid Writing (assistance with funding applications and tenders), APAR Applications (Apprenticeship Register registration support), Awarding Body Accreditation Support, Ofsted Preparation, Funding Rules Compliance, and Organisational Growth Planning. These services are delivered by a team of experienced consultants and do not represent a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bid Writing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% pass rate on APAR applications
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• PwC UK: Big Four firm advising further education colleges, training providers, and apprenticeship levy payers on strategy, funding, workforce, and operational transformation. The consultancy's chartered accountant consultant's PwC background underscores overlap in client base and service approach.
• QA Limited: UK-based training and consulting firm with established further education and apprenticeship practices, including consultancy on provider setup, funding compliance, and Ofsted readiness. Similar target segment (independent training providers, FE colleges) with broader technology-enabled delivery model.
• City & Guilds: UK awarding body and skills sector organisation that supports training providers through accreditation, technical advice, and consultancy on quality and compliance. Adjacent to the consultancy's awarding body accreditation and funding compliance services.
• Education Development Trust: International education consultancy and training organisation with deep UK further education practice, supporting skills providers, awarding bodies, and government on education policy and provider development. Directly comparable with the consultancy's DfE/Ofsted navigation expertise but at much larger scale.
• Tribal Group: UK-listed education technology and consultancy company serving further and higher education institutions with management information systems, student records, and consultancy services. Overlaps with The Education & Skills Consultancy in serving FE providers but at much broader scope and scale.
• Pearson UK: Global education and assessment company with a UK FE/apprenticeships division that supports training providers with accreditation, End Point Assessment, and funding-related services. Comparable target customer (UK training providers) and partial functional overlap in funding/compliance advisory.
• Deloitte UK: Big Four firm with a public sector / skills practice advising UK education institutions, training providers, and government on funding strategy, transformation, and regulatory compliance. Comparable consultancy services at much larger scale and broader remit.
• KPMG UK: Big Four firm with a dedicated education and skills practice advising FE providers, training providers, and government on strategy, funding, compliance, and operational improvement. Overlaps with the consultancy's bid writing and organisational growth services but as part of a much wider portfolio.

Others

• National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER): UK educational research body conducting studies on FE/skills policy, providers, and funding. Not a direct competitor but operates in the same UK FE/skills ecosystem and could be a referral or partnership source for the consultancy.
• Institute for Employment Studies (IES): Independent UK research organisation providing evaluation, research, and policy advice on employment, skills, and further education. Thematically adjacent to the consultancy's funding-related work because both serve the UK skills policy and provider ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/E_and_SConsult
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-education-and-skills-consultancy
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Education & Skills Consultancy