You don’t need to know apprenticeship rules. When you hear something like this, make the introduction and our team will check what fits.
What you can introduce
Apprenticeships we deliver
All funded apprenticeships, delivered nationally and online with a development coach for every learner.
Human resources
HR Support L3
People Professional L5
Learning and development
Learning and Development Practitioner L3
Learning and Development Consultant L5
AI and data
Data Technician L3
Data Analyst L4
AI and Automation Practitioner L4
Improvement and administration
Improvement Technician L3
Improvement Specialist L5
Business Administrator L3
How it works
One introduction from you. We do the rest.
What it could be worth
5% of every programme, paid per learner
Programme values vary by apprenticeship and level. Higher-level programmes can be worth up to £18,000, which means £900 to you for one learner.
Each learner qualifies after 90 active days in learning.
Your referral income
£3,600
6 learners × £12,000 × 5%. Illustrative only; actual fees depend on each learner’s programme.
Built around your course
Your learners don’t start again from zero
When a learner moves onto a City Skills apprenticeship, we assess what they already know. Relevant learning from your course can be recognised, so their apprenticeship builds on your work instead of repeating it.
Founding partner offer
Everything you get as a founding partner
10 founding places in the pilot. Founding partners help set the terms at the 90-day review.
Our promises to you
The rules we both follow
Tell your client in writing that City Skills pays you a fee, and how it’s worked out. Clients trust advisers who are open about this.
You introduce, we advise. We check eligibility and funding. Please don’t promise funding, places or free training.
No fee-sharing. Fees can’t be passed on to the employer, its staff or the learner.
Fees come from City Skills. They are never taken from apprenticeship funding or the employer’s contribution.
Questions
What partners ask us
Talk to James
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“hr-services”: {
eyebrow:”For outsourced HR and HR services firms”,
h1:”Earn up to £900 for every learner you introduce. We do the rest.”,
sub:”Your advisers already spot which client staff need developing. Make one warm introduction and City Skills handles funding, enrolment and delivery. You earn 5% of the programme value once each learner passes 90 days.”,
chip:’1 introduction · no selling · no targets’,
pairsTitle:”More value for your clients, more revenue for you, no new hires”,
pairs:[
[“Clients see HR support as a cost line.”,”You bring them funded development with a clear outcome.”],
[“Advisers spot capability gaps they can’t fix inside the retainer.”,”One warm introduction, and our team takes it from there.”],
[“Growing revenue means hiring more advisers.”,”Referral income that needs no extra headcount.”]
],
spot:[
[“Our HR administrator is picking up more and more.”,”HR Support apprenticeship, Level 3.”],
[“Our processes are slow and nobody owns fixing them.”,”Improvement Technician (Level 3) or Improvement Specialist (Level 5).”],
[“We spend hours every week on manual reports and admin.”,”AI and Automation Practitioner (Level 4) or Data Analyst (Level 4).”],
[“We need someone in-house who can run our training.”,”Learning and Development Practitioner, Level 3.”]
],
stepYou:”Share the client’s details through your partner link, with their permission. Your advisers can all submit under one partner ID.”,
formQ:”Think of one client right now. What development need do they have?”,
faqExtra:[[“Can everyone on my team make referrals?”,”Yes. Your business has one partner account and any adviser can submit introductions under it. We can report referrals by adviser if that helps you.”]],
calc:{l:8,v:12000}
},
“consultants”: {
eyebrow:”For independent HR and L&D consultants and fractional HR directors”,
h1:”Recommend it once. Earn up to £900 per learner.”,
sub:”You diagnose the capability gap. We turn it into a funded apprenticeship, handle the paperwork and deliver it. You stay the adviser who solved it, and earn 5% of the programme value once each learner passes 90 days.”,
chip:’1 introduction · no selling · no targets’,
pairsTitle:”Your recommendations happen, and you get paid for them”,
pairs:[
[“Development recommendations stall at budget sign-off.”,”Apprenticeship funding covers most or all of the cost.”],
[“You can’t deliver 12 to 18 months of training yourself.”,”We deliver nationally and online, with a development coach for every learner.”],
[“More income means selling more of your hours.”,”A referral fee for an introduction and, if you like, one joint call.”]
],
spot:[
[“We know our people need developing, but there’s no budget.”,”Funded apprenticeships in HR, L&D, data and improvement.”],
[“Our people lead wants to get qualified.”,”People Professional apprenticeship, Level 5.”],
[“Our processes are slow and nobody owns fixing them.”,”Improvement Technician (Level 3) or Improvement Specialist (Level 5).”],
[“We want to build a proper L&D function.”,”Learning and Development Consultant, Level 5.”]
],
stepYou:”Share the client’s details through your partner link, with their permission, or ask us to join a call with you.”,
formQ:”Think of one client right now. What development need do they have?”,
faqExtra:[[“Will City Skills try to take over my client relationship?”,”No. We only discuss the opportunity you introduced, and we don’t offer consultancy. You stay your client’s adviser.”]],
calc:{l:3,v:12000}
},
“providers”: {
eyebrow:”For commercial training providers”,
h1:”Your course ends. Their development doesn’t have to.”,
sub:”Many learners finish a short course wanting a full qualification. Refer them into a funded City Skills apprenticeship, keep the relationship, and give your clients a progression route you can’t offer on your own.”,
chip:’Progression partnership · terms agreed individually’,
pairsTitle:”A progression route for your learners, without competing with you”,
pairs:[
[“Learners finish your course and you lose touch.”,”A funded next step that keeps them developing.”],
[“Clients ask for longer programmes you’re not approved to deliver.”,”Point them to a funded apprenticeship instead of turning them away.”],
[“You need evidence of what your learners go on to do.”,”Agreed progression updates you can use in your own reporting.”]
],
spot:[
[“That course was great. What’s the next level?”,”A funded apprenticeship that builds on it.”],
[“Can you run something longer for our HR team?”,”HR Support (Level 3) or People Professional (Level 5).”],
[“I want a qualification I can put on my CV.”,”A nationally recognised apprenticeship.”],
[“Our levy is going unspent.”,”A funded way to keep developing the same people.”]
],
stepYou:”Introduce the employer or learner, with their permission, when they ask what comes after your course.”,
formQ:”Which of your courses do learners most often want to progress from?”,
faqExtra:[[“Is there a referral fee for training providers?”,”Apprenticeship funding rules restrict payments between training providers, so our standard 5% referral fee doesn’t apply. We agree the terms of each progression partnership individually.”]],
calc:null
}
};
const shared = {
steps:[
[“You”,”Make the introduction”,null],
[“City Skills”,”We assess and enrol”,”We contact your client within 3 business days, check eligibility and funding, and agree the right programme.”],
[“City Skills”,”Your learner starts”,”We deliver online with a development coach. You get status updates at least every 20 business days.”],
[“You”,”You get paid”,”Once a learner reaches 90 active days, we send your statement. Invoice us and we pay within 30 days.”]
],
stack:[
[“Client-ready introduction kit”,”Email templates, one-page programme guides and approved wording on funding, so you never have to explain the rules yourself.”],
[“A free development snapshot for your client”,”A 30-minute call where our team turns your client’s development needs into a plan. It gives you something useful to offer.”],
[“Co-hosted client webinar”,”You present the workforce problem. We cover the funded routes. Your clients see you bringing them a solution.”],
[“Referral tracking”,”See where every introduction is, from accepted to enrolled to paid.”],
[“A named partner manager”,”One person who knows your clients’ referrals and keeps you updated.”],
[“A say in the scheme”,”Founding partners review the terms with us at 90 days, before the scheme opens more widely.”]
],
promises:[
“We contact your client within 3 business days of accepting your referral.”,
“Your client stays your client. We only discuss the opportunity you introduced.”,
“No targets, joining fee or exclusivity. Leave with 30 days’ notice. Accepted referrals still count.”,
“Once a fee is earned, it’s yours, even if the learner leaves later.”
],
faq:[
[“Is the scheme compliant with the apprenticeship funding rules?”,`
Yes. Here is exactly how it works against the Apprenticeship funding rules, August 2026 to July 2027 (version 3).
Para 111.1: referral fees are an ineligible cost. The rules list external referral services and lead generation as costs that must not be funded. Your fee is never included in the price agreed with the employer (para 105) and is never charged to the employer or the apprentice.
Para 121: fees come from our own surplus. Providers may use their profit to pay for ineligible costs. City Skills pays your fee from its own commercial surplus. It never comes out of apprenticeship funding or the employer\’s contribution, which is collected in full.
Para 120: no inducements. No unauthorised payment may be made to an apprentice, employer, training provider or end-point assessment organisation. Fees go only to independent partners, and partners can\’t pass any part of a fee to the employer, its staff or the learner. That is also why training providers join as progression partners without a fee.
Para 111.1: you must be independent of the buyer. Costs paid to employers or their representatives to secure business are also ineligible. You can\’t make the buying decision for the employer or act as its agent. If you have a connection, tell us before referring and we check it first.
Para 21: you introduce, you don\’t deliver. A subcontractor is anyone contracted to deliver training in the apprenticeship. City Skills does all assessment, eligibility checks, advice to learners, enrolment and training, so partners are not subcontractors.
Transparency: your client always knows. You tell your client in writing, before introducing them, that we pay you a fee and how it\’s worked out. We record that confirmation with each referral.
This is a summary, not legal advice. The Referral Partner Agreement sets out the full terms, and City Skills completes a compliance check before activating each partner.
`],
[“Do I have to sell apprenticeships?”,”No. You spot the need and make a warm introduction. Our team explains the options, checks eligibility and funding, and handles enrolment.”],
[“How is the 5% worked out?”,”It’s 5% of the agreed programme value for that learner, excluding VAT. For example, an AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship at £18,000 earns £900.”],
[“When do I get paid?”,”When the learner has completed 90 active days on their apprenticeship and been included in our funding return. We send a statement, you invoice, and we pay within 30 days.”],
[“What if my client already knows City Skills?”,”If they’re already a client, or have had a recorded sales conversation with us in the last 90 days, we’ll tell you straight away and explain why.”],
[“What if the learner leaves early?”,”No fee is due if a learner withdraws before 90 days. After that, the fee is yours to keep.”],
[“Do I have to tell my client you pay me?”,”Yes, in writing, before you introduce them. Being open about it protects you and your client, and it’s a condition of the scheme.”]
]
};
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function statementCard(){
return `
Commission statement
Partner CSRP-0142 · Example figures
Example
Learner A · AI and Automation Practitioner, L4Value £18,000 · day 90 reached
£900
Learner B · People Professional, L5Value £11,000 · day 90 reached
£550
Learner C · Improvement Specialist, L5Day 47 of 90
`).join(“”);
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: shared.faq.concat(d.faqExtra);
$(“#faq”).innerHTML = faq.map((f,i)=>`${f[0]}
James Cox headshot