West Yorkshire-based Woodspeen Training, which provided apprenticeship programmes for pharmacy support staff, has ceased trading after the government terminated its apprenticeship contract.
The company, owned by a Swiss investment firm, went into administration early this week after being in operation for over 30 years.
It trains over 1,800 apprentices in business, care and health, as well as 70 adult learners on courses in beauty and fitness.
Woodspeen was judged ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted this year.
A key criticism in Ofsted’s report was that “too many learners and apprentices leave their programmes early and do not achieve”.
Woodspeen's overall apprenticeship achievement rate in 2023-24 was 42.8 per cent, according to government data.
The company spokesperson said the outcome reflects "historic performance challenges, particularly around timeliness measures that lag behind recent operational improvements.”
Woodspeen said it is now working with the Department of Education to transfer learners to alternative providers and support staff through the transition.
Meanwhile, Skills4Pharmacy has offered to support the apprentices affected by the disruption at Woodpseen.
"We guarantee support for every apprentice affected, regardless of where they are in their journey," the company said.
Skills4Pharmacy owner Amerjit stated, "Our team is fully prepared to help learners transition into our apprenticeship programmes, ensuring their journey continues with as little disruption as possible. As a fellow contractor in the pharmacy sector, I understand the importance of stability and continuity for our workforce."
It has offered to help learners seeking to continue their apprenticeship training, and contractors and employers concerned about the future of their apprentices.
The National Pharmacy Association has urged its members affected by the sudden closure of Woodspeen to avail themselves of the help being provided by Skills4Pharmacy.
"If your pharmacy has apprentices impacted by this situation, please contact Skills4Pharmacy for guidance and support. They will work with you to help learners continue their apprenticeship journey with minimal disruption."
They can reach the Skills4Pharmacy team via their email (info@skills4pharmacy.com) or by completing the apprenticeship enquiry form from the following link https://portal.npa.co.uk/npaportal/s/apprenticeshi..., it added.
