DN815341 - Regulatory Compliance Officer - Apprenticeship standard reference: ST0430.

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The Housing Enforcement Trainee Programme has been established to help tackle the shortage of housing enforcement officers across Greater Manchester. It is funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and participating Greater Manchester local authorities and builds on a previous cohort of trainees, under the Good Landlord Scheme. More information about the previous cohort can be found on the GMCA’s website.

The trainee programme is a 2-stage model of:

1. The Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship (level 4), to provide a foundation in enforcement, followed by;

2. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) endorsed diploma (level 5) in the private rented sector / housing enforcement to provide specific, technical knowledge on housing standards enforcement.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council is therefore seeking an apprenticeship training provider to deliver the Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship to a cohort of 20-25 apprentice housing enforcement officers, on behalf of the 10 GM Local authorities as part of the Housing Enforcement Trainee Programme.

Learners on this programme will be newly recruited to housing enforcement teams in GM local authorities and are expected to start on programme in April 2026. We anticipate that recruits will have a mix of experience rather than exclusively being school leavers or graduates.

It is expected that the same LA will employ each learner for both phases of their training, and that LAs will continue to employ the learners after they are fully trained.

The apprenticeship training should:

1. Be an exclusive, closed cohort or cohorts.

2. Incorporate a co-ordinated launch day with opportunity for media coverage

3. Acknowledge the housing-specific nature of the apprentices’ roles and ensure that course content is relevant to that context. The following topics have been identified as especially relevant for housing enforcement apprentices, and it is desirable for the training to include opportunities for apprentices to explore some or all of them:

3.1. The housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS)

3.2. Councils’ new duties to enforce tenancy-related breaches and offences under the Renters’ Rights Act

3.3. Building construction and pathology

3.4. Relevant formal enforcement powers (e.g. civil penalties)

3.5. property licensing

3.6. PACE interview and investigations

4. Provide opportunities for the cohort to learn together in person in the form of in-person workshops every month (note: participating LAs have committed to providing suitable training spaces on their premises for this purpose)

5. Facilitate opportunities for the apprentices to experience other LAs such as job shadowing or secondment (note: participating LAs have committed to supporting this activity)

6. Include training which equips apprentices to manage conflict and high-pressure situations, such as may be encountered when challenging a landlord regarding poor property conditions.

7. Take no longer than 18 months for any apprentice to complete EPA

8. Ensure a smooth transition to the level 5 diploma

9. Be delivered in line with the latest version of the ESFA Apprenticeship funding rules, found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules.

The apprenticeship training provider should also:

1. Provide supplementary support to the line manager of each apprentice, some of whom may be managing an apprentice for the first time

2. Monitor and ensure high levels of apprentice and manager satisfaction with the apprenticeship course

3. Provide feedback on apprentice progress and manager satisfaction to the GMCA research and evaluation team and their contracted evaluation partner(s) to support the evaluation of the Housing Enforcement Trainee Programme

For the avoidance of doubt, please note that it is not expected that the apprenticeship training provider will also offer the CIEH-endorsed diploma as part of the apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship must be delivered in line with the latest version of the ESFA Apprenticeship funding rules, found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules.

We do not anticipate paying more than the ESFA maximum funding band for this apprenticeship (£9,000 at time of writing), and do not expect to pay for any professional registrations for apprentices, as we understand that these are not a requirement of the apprenticeship standard.